“Pa!” A shuttlecock cuts through the air, tracing a sharp arc across the exhibition hall before the robotic arm opposite strikes it back with precise timing. At the 140th China Import and Export Fair, more commonly known as the Canton Fair, industrial and service machines have moved far beyond static displays and simple dance routines to tackle badminton matches, medical screening, and heavy manufacturing tasks.
Robotics Take to the Badminton Court and Clinic
At the ongoing trade exhibition, Guangzhou-based embodiment intelligence firm Dongyi Technology introduced its PHYBOT C-series robots, which engaged visitors in live badminton and table tennis rallies alongside exhibition guide duties, xkb.com.cn reported. Standing 135cm tall and weighing 35kg, the dual-foot humanoid service carriers achieve a movement speed of 4 meters per second with over 25 degrees of freedom and a 5-kilogram arm payload. According to company representatives, the hardware runs on a self-developed physical intelligence architecture dubbed PhyAgents, which pairs a decision-making agent with a motion control model to form a closed perception-to-execution loop.
Exhibition halls also featured healthcare technology designed for daily living support. Fubao Robot exhibited an intelligent care companion unit outfitted with a rounded screen interface capable of monitoring vital signs including blood pressure, blood oxygen, and electrocardiogram readings, while supporting emergency alert calls and medication reminders. Adjacent to the care unit, an artificial intelligence mental screening assistant used overhead camera hardware and large language models to conduct video consultations and psychological interviews.
“We have participated in the Canton Fair for multiple sessions,” Fubao Robot Vice President Mei Chao said, noting that the company aims to introduce Chinese technological innovations to overseas clients.
Heavy Industrial Units Manage Factory Floors and Railway Lines
Beyond consumer interaction spaces, industrial developers showcased heavy-duty systems built for factory automation and hazardous environments. Guangzhou Ligong Intelligent showcased its Liedian F1-S and Liedian F1 robots handling material transfers and precision assembly tasks. Standing over 1.8 meters tall to match standard workshop and machine tool heights, the dual-arm units support a 30-kilogram payload capacity, addressing logistics inside warehouses and automated retail fulfillment.
Specialized infrastructure maintenance also featured in the industrial exhibition zones. Sichuan Jiuzhou Investment Holding Group presented its third-generation railway bolt maintenance robot, engineered to replace human technicians working in extreme temperature and high-altitude conditions. Company representatives stated that the rail vehicle performs autonomous inspections and automatic bolt tightening while transmitting remote monitoring data back to operators, reducing manual labor risks across several domestic railway bureaus.
Global Deployments and Market Iteration Speed
Exhibitors highlighted accelerated product development cycles across the sector. Guangzhou-based Shiyuan Shares displayed its MAXHUB A3 Plus smart flexible robotic arm for research and manufacturing, alongside an industrial quadruped robot deployed across more than 10,000 square meters of automated inspection space inside a major dairy enterprise’s global lighthouse factory. Its MAXHUB C3 Plus commercial cleaning robot, which covers areas up to 3,000 square meters and operates autonomously for weeks, has already entered markets in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
“Behind the exhibits is a capability system built by the company over twenty years,” Shiyuan Shares Party Secretary and Chief Strategic Resource Officer Duan Yu said, pointing out that cumulative research investment exceeded 10.1 billion yuan between 2017 and 2025, with technical personnel comprising 55.47 percent of the workforce.
