China's first humanoid robot '7S' store in Wuhan: from dream to reality — robots can be bought, rented, repaired and even trained for new skills
Located in the "Optics Valley of China", the store offers not only sales but also customization, demonstration and professional training. Robots play football, sell products, play musical instruments and chat with visitors. The '7S' model is a step beyond the automotive '4S'.
As reported by CCTV+, the opening of China's first humanoid robot '7S' store in Wuhan at the end of last year turned the once unrealistic dream of owning a robot into reality for many. The store offers a one‑stop shop where people can meet, rent and purchase robots for a wide range of purposes — from personal companionship to industrial work.
The store is located in a shopping mall in the Wuhan East Lake High‑Tech Development Zone, a key technology and innovation hub in central China's Hubei Province, known as the "Optics Valley of China". Since opening last November, it has become a major local attraction and a symbol of the commercialization of China's rapidly growing robotics sector.
Managed by the Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, the store trains customers in using the products, helps with robot repairs and even customizes robots for specific needs. Inside the bustling store, robots of various sizes and shapes demonstrate their broad capabilities — some play football, others act as helpful sales assistants, and a group of talented robots play musical instruments. Foreign visitors are naturally charmed: some rush to take photos of an energetic dancing robot, while others happily engage in conversation.
Rajaobarielina Faratiana, acting director of legal, consular and judicial affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Madagascar, said: "I was really very impressed. I had a little chat with the robot. I asked its name, and it answered. I asked, 'What do you think about the climate?' and it answered exactly as I expected, using real human words."
The '7S' retail concept expands on the well‑known '4S' model common in the automotive industry (sales, spare parts, service and surveys). To these four, three more have been added — customized solutions, product demonstration and professional robot training, explained Liu Haifeng, executive director of the Wuhan store. China's humanoid robot industry showed significant growth during 2025, driven by national and local medium‑ to long‑term plans designating it as a key strategic sector.
The 7S store is a pioneering step in exploring viable commercial models and market acceptance of this transformative technology, and is part of a nationwide wave of robot retail experiments aimed at promoting the practical application of humanoid robots.
The '7S' humanoid robot store in Wuhan is China's first, but not the last. In 2025, China's robotics market grew by tens of percent, and such stores are becoming bridges between laboratory developments and everyday life. A robot that plays football or answers questions about climate is no longer a miracle. It becomes part of a service — purchase, repair, an ordinary consumer cycle.
Not long ago, a robot was a fairy tale. Today, you can not only buy one, but also rent it; if it bores you, repair it or train it for new tasks. The 7S store in Wuhan resembles a car dealership of the future — only instead of cars, there are metallic friends who talk, dance and even advise. And when a diplomat from Madagascar engages in small talk with a robot, it becomes clear: the boundary between fantasy and reality is blurring. Welcome to the era where a robot is not a miracle, but a commodity.
