McDonald’s Tests Humanoid Robots in Shanghai Restaurant
A McDonald’s restaurant in Shanghai is testing humanoid robots for customer-facing roles, offering a glimpse into how service robotics could gradually enter everyday retail environments.
Robotics as a service is a business model where companies use robots through a subscription or pay-as-you-go service instead of buying them outright. This approach lowers upfront costs and makes advanced robotics more accessible to businesses of different sizes. RaaS typically includes hardware, software, maintenance, and updates as part of one service package. It is commonly used in warehouses, logistics, cleaning, security, and manufacturing environments. By shifting robotics to an operational expense, RaaS allows companies to scale automation more flexibly.
A McDonald’s restaurant in Shanghai is testing humanoid robots for customer-facing roles, offering a glimpse into how service robotics could gradually enter everyday retail environments.
Gecko Robotics has secured its largest U.S. Navy contract to deploy inspection robots that build digital twins of naval vessels. The systems aim to reduce costly maintenance delays and improve fleet readiness.
Foxconn is expanding its robotics strategy as demand for AI infrastructure surges. The company is working with partners including Skild AI, ABB, and NVIDIA to deploy intelligent robots in electronics assembly.