A dedicated training base in southwest China's Sichuan Province is readying embodied artificial intelligence (AI) robots for their entry into multiple sectors, teaching them the essential skills they will need to perform numerous application scenarios in fields such as manufacturing, healthcare, urban management and even in emergency response situations.

Based in the city of Mianyang, the Sichuan Embodied Intelligence Robot Training Base has been accelerating robotic learning, algorithmic improvements and capability upgrades to take these robots to the next stage of their development, with the center operating as a comprehensive platform integrating research and development, validation testing, standard-setting and commercialization.

The advanced training ground is expected to address critical bottlenecks facing embodied AI development globally, including a scarcity of real-world training scenarios, insufficient high-quality data, and inadequate testing capabilities in extreme environments.

"The training programs cover a dozen scenarios, like industrial manufacturing, home services, and shopping assistance. The approach here is like an adult teaching a child, providing hands-on instruction to help them acquire more skills," said Zhang Chenchen, the base's technical director.

The novelty element of the robot training base has seen it attract flocks of visitors and professionals from various sectors who are keen to get an up-close look at these AI-powered robots in action and explore their full potential.

"I come from [the nearby city of] Deyang and work in the flexible packaging industry. Robots are very suitable for our current factory production scenarios, such as code-scanning and labeling, material sorting, and material handling," said one interested visitor.

According to staff, the training base has received more than 200 visiting groups during its trial operation over the last two months, with a large number of orders being signed. After the corresponding robots are sufficiently trained, they will be mass-produced and shipped on to the companies.

"This year, numerous policies supporting AI development have been launched at both the national and local levels, which has given us great confidence. Currently, some robots, including those for shopping assistance, and those used in industrial settings, are undergoing preliminary preparations for deployment. We are also accelerating robot training, like getting them into shopping malls, communities, and factories, so that AI technology can empower various industries more quickly," said Zhu Yanchen, the base's brand manager.

Thanks to rapid advancements in technologies such as AI and large language models, China's robotics industry is undergoing a rapid transformation from laboratory research to mass production and applications.

The industry is expected to see a major market boom in the coming years. According to the Chinese Institute of Electronics, China's humanoid robot market is projected to reach 870 billion yuan (approx. 122 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030.