IN Hall 5 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, Q-robot, the new generation robot developed by Tencent, Inc. and Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, was busy answering questions from a curious audience and the answers amused fair visitors.

    Q-robot is only about 10 centimeters tall, but it has vivid facial expressions. Before starting a conversation, it changes expressions and stretches its arms and legs, saying: “Master, you can ask me questions.”

    According to Fan Jianping, president of Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, the first generation Q-robot went on sale in August. It was just a concept when it appeared at the fair last year.

    The new generation Q-robot includes facial recognition, touch-control, user analysis and data analysis technology.

    “People don’t need a mouse or keyboard. They can use voice, gestures and touch to give instructions and receive news, weather, music and stock market information from Q-robot.”

    The institute is collecting feedback from people attending the fair to improve Q-robot functions.

    At another booth in Hall 5, a white rabbit robot called NAO attracted a crowd.

    When visitors stand in front of NAO, it raises its head and looks at them, and then dances. NAO was an invention of Aldebaran Robotics in France.

    (Han Ximin)