China Deploys Robot Pharmacists, Police to the Field

China is showcasing advanced technology by deploying humanoids to various sites, from robot pharmacists to robot police managing marathon races. The country is utilizing humanoids across diverse sectors, accumulating technological expertise through their deployment in pharmacy operations and marathon race control. A 24-hour smart pharmacy in Beijing, where robot pharmacists handle customer orders, is now operational, and humanoids recently served as traffic police during a marathon event.

At Beijing's 24-hour smart pharmacies, robot pharmacists handle over 1,000 types of medications. They receive online orders, select the correct drugs, and place them into delivery bins within one minute. Around 100 such pharmacies are operating nationwide, with robot accuracy reportedly reaching 99%. Pharmaceutical regulatory bodies are conducting real-time inspections of the robots' stability and data transmission systems. Ma Xin, head of the Beijing Haidian District Pharmaceutical Administration Division, noted that they are monitoring the robots' handling mechanisms to ensure no damage to medications and verifying that all operational data is transmitted live to the pharmacy management system.

Humanoid robots, which competed as athletes in a marathon last year, have now transformed into traffic police roles for race control. Additionally, over 20 cities across the country feature robot convenience stores where robots fetch items like beverages based on customer orders.

China's deployment of robots in such varied field applications is seen as preparation for mass production of domestic humanoids, designed to handle unpredictable situations in home environments. By accumulating data in standardized operational settings, the robots are learning from their mistakes as part of their development process.