The China International Robot Show 2015 kicks off in Shanghai. As the biggest robotics industry event in the country, the opening on July 8 attracted huge interest from the industry and public.

China’s rich supply of cheap labor has backed up the country’s economic growth for decades. But as labor costs increase while the demand for skilled labor rises, more and more industries are turning to robots to replace manual labor.

“On average, the annual growth rate of labor costs is 15 percent in China, while the cost of robots decreases 5 percent every year. Using robots is more economical in the long term. Also, the demands for quality control in manufacturing keep growing, and robots can give you very consistent quality to reduce the rework and the scrap rate,” Wang Zhe with Shanghai Step Robotics Co., Ltd., said.

Under the theme of “promote the development of robotics, and lead the deepening transformation of manufacturing”, the robot show has attracted hundreds of robots suppliers from home and abroad, showcasing the latest models of robots for automobile, electronics, food, pharmacy, logistics and many other fields.

This exhibition not only shows how robots transform manufacturing for industries, but also changes brought to ordinary people in real life.

This usher robot is designed for guiding people in public places, such as airports and banks. By touching the screen, users can easily check the direction and service information. Its face recognition system also links with a police database to ensure public security.

“We have signed partnerships with airports and banks already. They receive a large number of visitors every day, and the robots will help their staffs deal with visitors. Moreover, these places have a high security requirement, and the face recognition system will alert authorities if any suspicious person turns up,” Zhang Wenguang with Hit Robot Group said.

Apart from industry players, the public is also showing great interest in how robots can shape their lives in the future.

“I hope robots can cook and move heavy stuff for my mom at home. And I’d love to be served by robots in restaurants,” Visitor Wu Kun said.

The robotics industry has been surprising people since the first robot was produced. And robot makers hope their work will continue to take people further and broaden their imaginations.