Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

A FLEET of cargo-laden robots rode the Shenzhen Metro to restock 7-Eleven stores located in Line 2 stations Monday. Without human assistance, the Arctic Tern-shaped robots boarded trains, computed the most efficient itinerary, and delivered goods.

“Previously, our orders arrived by van and had to be hand-carried into the station, which was slow, labor-intensive, and costly, especially during rush hour,” said the manager of a 7-Eleven store involved in Monday’s trial.

“We project that 41 robots can handle peak-season replenishment for every Metro-based 7-Eleven,” the manager added.

The chain now operates more than 100 stores inside the Metro network.

Developed jointly by Shenzhen Metro and China Vanke, the robots synthesize real-time data on store orders, locations, deadlines, and train capacity to plot optimal routes. They navigate elevators, platforms, and trains autonomously.

According to 2023 figures from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Shenzhen, which is home to 1,600 robotics companies, produced 58.6% of the world’s service robots.