How Far Are Robots from Becoming "Nannies" for Humans? Experts Say This Is the Situation

The China Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics Expo (AWE) will be held in Shanghai from March 12 to March 15, 2026. During the expo, the Home Service Robot Industry Development Forum and the inaugural meeting of the Home Service Robot Special Committee will take place. The China Household Electrical Appliances Association has established the Home Service Robot Special Committee and released its first “White Paper on the Development of the Home Service Robot Industry.”

Yu Hao, Secretary-General of the Home Service Robot Special Committee of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, stated during the white paper interpretation that users already have a strong awareness of home service robots, but the depth of understanding is relatively low. This creates a risk of a “gap between perception and reality” in the market. Meanwhile, high purchase willingness indicates the market is in an upward phase. Future core strategies for companies should focus on how to convert this “expectation” into actual purchasing behavior by enhancing product experience and services to meet user needs.

He predicts that the consumer market for home service robots will evolve in four directions: from single-function to multi-function integration, from specific scenarios to full-house smart central control, from tool-like to emotionally interactive attributes, and with gradually decreasing prices and increasing adoption rates.

Currently, embodied intelligence has become a key driver of the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. As the ultimate application scenario for robots, home environments are now recognized industry-wide as a strategic focus.

“China is the world’s largest robot market and the production base for 55% of global robot products,” said Zhang Chonghe, President of the China Light Industry Council. By 2025, the output of service robots is expected to reach 18.58 million units, a year-on-year increase of 16.1%. Products for aging, cleaning, companionship, and other niche scenarios are developing rapidly.

In recent years, major home appliance companies like Haier, Hisense, and Midea have taken the lead in deploying service robots around home scenarios, promoting the upgrade of home appliances from single intelligent terminals to smart service platforms.

Shu Hai, Vice President of Haier Group and General Manager of Haier Smart Home R&D Platform, said that the original purpose of home appliances was to solve household chores for humans. However, some chores still require manual effort because appliances lack two key capabilities: understanding the physical world and generalization of operations.

Against this backdrop, two major trends are emerging in the home appliance industry: AI-powered appliances and embodied appliances. Shu explained that the core feature of AI appliances is proactive intelligence, capable of anticipating user needs and providing services automatically without explicit commands. The core of embodied appliances is spatial intelligence, enabling understanding of the environment, including building environmental models, recognizing object relationships, and planning paths, allowing machines to operate autonomously in the real world.

The complexity and variability of household scenarios mean that the deployment of home service robots depends on real needs, especially user pain points. Among various household scenarios, aging and health care stand out as the “comprehensive” application.

Dai Zhihui, Vice President of Shanghai Fourier Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., said in a keynote speech that currently, humanoid robots face three core challenges in home health care scenarios: first, a disconnect between technology and real needs, with usability, practicality, and emotional companionship still needing breakthroughs; second, an incomplete safety and trust system, with standards, privacy, and responsibility boundaries needing clarification; third, insufficient adaptation to unstructured home environments, with real-world scenario reliability needing improvement.

“On the ‘last mile’ of deployment, home service robots face five major challenges,” said Sun Fuchun, Professor of Computer Science at Tsinghua University and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Artificial Intelligence Society. “Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) has not yet been achieved. Most AI systems perform well in specific fields but still require remote control. Simple human actions like pouring water or tying shoelaces are extremely complex for robots, involving high-dimensional joint control, force feedback, visual reasoning, and more. Only by overcoming the challenge of universal AI that can handle infinite tasks can robots truly become human ‘life partners.’”

“Moravec’s paradox exists in the physical world,” Sun explained. “Actions that are simple for humans, like folding clothes or grabbing a cup, are very difficult for robots; meanwhile, tasks that are hard for humans, like complex calculations or chess, robots can handle easily.”

Hardware and integration shortcomings are also major bottlenecks preventing service robots from entering homes. He noted that while algorithm models evolve rapidly, progress in overall design, system integration, and reliability verification lags behind. Data acquisition faces the “last mile” challenge, and scenario-based solutions still need further exploration.

Safety, ethics, and cost are also critical issues. “A robot weighing dozens of kilograms, if misoperated—such as pinching children or knocking over elderly people—responsibility is unclear. Robots equipped with cameras and sensors operating 24/7 at home pose data leakage risks. Additionally, high-end companion robots typically cost around ten thousand yuan, making them unaffordable for ordinary families,” Sun said.

(Edited by: Wang Zhiqiang HF013)

【Disclaimer】This article reflects only the author’s personal views and is not related to Hexun. Hexun.com maintains neutrality regarding the statements and opinions expressed and does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the content. Readers should use it for reference only and bear all responsibilities themselves. Email: news_center@staff.hexun.com