.png?w=1024)
A humanoid robot is about to take the overnight shift in Hong Kong.
The city is preparing to open its first 24-hour convenience store operated by a humanoid robot, placing a machine called “Xiao Gai” inside a compact retail shop on the Hung Hom waterfront. The project, revealed by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, is part of Hong Kong’s broader push to make AI more visible in public life.
According to Chan, the store is being developed by a mainland Chinese company specializing in embodied AI and will be the firm's first retail location outside mainland China.
“According to the firm, Hong Kong was chosen as the first stop for the retail store’s expansion outside the mainland because of the city’s international showcase platform, its openness to testing new technologies and the visibility it offers to innovation and technology projects,” Chan said, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The store is a small experiment with larger implications: if humanoid robots can move from controlled demos to ordinary errands, retail may become one of the first places where the public meets embodied AI face-to-face.
Meet Xiao Gai
The robot running the store is the G1 model developed by Beijing-based robotics company Galbot, according to industry representatives and retail reports.
Standing about 173 centimeters (5 feet 7 inches) tall and equipped with two robotic arms, Xiao Gai is designed to perform a range of retail tasks. The robot can restock shelves, retrieve products, manage inventory, and process customer checkouts.
Galbot says the robot is capable of voice interaction, target recognition, and understanding customer intent through visual and audio perception systems. The Hong Kong version will also be able to communicate with customers in multiple languages.
The store itself will operate from a compact capsule-style structure of about nine square meters and will stock products such as snacks, lifestyle merchandise, and over-the-counter medicines.
Bringing AI closer to the public
Supporters of the project argue that visible, real-world deployments could help make AI more understandable to the public.
Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, said the store could give residents a rare opportunity to interact directly with advanced AI systems.
“We do not [yet] seem to be able to embed AI in everyday life,” Fong said, according to SCMP. “Now there is a store manned by a real humanoid robot. People can interact with the robot when ordering things, seeing how it responds and prepares their orders.”
Fong identified Galbot as the company behind the initiative and noted that it had previously received support from the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC). The company has already tested similar autonomous retail concepts in Beijing, including its so-called "space capsule" stores operating at locations such as the Summer Palace and Zhongguancun ART PARK.
Also read: Humanoid robots are moving into public-facing roles, including a Seoul fashion show that put robotic design, movement, and presentation on display.