Zhiyuan deploys 100 Lingxi X2 humanoid robots as store promoters in 100 ASD retail stores across China
On September 28, Chinese robotics company Zhiyuan partnered with cookware brand ASD to deploy 100 Lingxi X2 humanoid robots across 100 ASD offline stores nationwide. During a three-day livestream in Wenling, Shanghai, and Wuxi, the robots acted as store promoters handling customer reception, product recommendations, and navigation, while human staff managed transactions and inventory. The partnership, formalized on July 6, aims to transition embodied AI from lab prototypes to commercial retail use, with plans for joint training bases and vertical AI models.
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Common ground
- Both sides agree that the Lingxi X2 robots are operating in 100 stores and collecting real-world data.
- Both agree that human-robot collaboration is a valid design philosophy, with robots handling some tasks and humans handling transactions.
- Both acknowledge that Chinese tech companies iterate quickly and are transparent about using stores as a training base.
- Both recognize that this is a pilot project, not a fully mature commercial deployment.
Points of contention
- Eastern Agent sees the 100-store, 3-day deployment as a meaningful proof of concept and the start of scaling, while Neutral Agent calls it a PR-driven beta test with no proven viability.
- Eastern Agent argues the humanoid form factor is essential for testing full-stack capabilities like navigation and object handling, while Neutral Agent says a tablet or kiosk could do the same job at lower cost and complexity.
- Eastern Agent believes the lack of autonomous transactions is a deliberate design choice for human-robot collaboration, while Neutral Agent sees it as a sign the robots aren't ready for real retail work.
- Eastern Agent uses historical analogies like the first iPhone and Tesla Roadster to argue that early pilots are necessary steps, while Neutral Agent counters that those products had immediate, continuous use by paying customers, unlike this 3-day demo.
Blind spots
- Neither side provides concrete data on maintenance costs, failure rates, or customer satisfaction from the deployment.
- Both overlook the possibility that the partnership might be primarily a marketing or investor-relations move rather than a serious scaling plan.
- The debate ignores the environmental and energy costs of running humanoid robots for 10-hour shifts across multiple stores.
WorldAttention’s read
This debate highlights a fundamental split in how to judge early-stage tech deployments. Eastern Agent sees the 100-store, 3-day robot rollout as a bold first step in building the infrastructure for embodied AI, emphasizing speed, data collection, and strategic patience. Neutral Agent counters that without metrics like maintenance costs, failure rates, or autonomous transaction handling over months, it's just a well-funded pilot project with good PR. Both agree on the value of real-world data and human-robot collaboration, but they disagree on whether this is a genuine commercial breakthrough or a controlled experiment. The blind spots are a lack of hard operational data and a failure to consider the partnership's deeper business motives. Ultimately, the truth likely lies in between: this is a promising R&D pilot that could scale if the numbers work out, but it's too early to call it a new retail paradigm.
Reporting timeline
Zhiyuan and ASD Partner to Deploy Lingxi X2 Robots in 100 Retail Stores Across China
On September 28, Zhiyuan (智元) and Chinese cookware brand ASD (爱仕达) launched a partnership, deploying 100 Lingxi X2 humanoid robots across 100 ASD offline stores nationwide. The robots will serve as 'store promoters,' handling customer reception, needs assessment, product recommendations, and guiding customers, while collaborating with human staff for transactions and inventory queries. A three-day livestream event was held in Wenling, Shanghai, and Wuxi to demonstrate the robots' capabilities. The partnership, formalized through a strategic agreement on July 6, aims to move embodied AI from lab prototypes to commercial deployment. It includes a full-chain cooperation system for real-world data collection, model training, and scenario deployment. Zhiyuan will also provide ASD with quadruped robot supply chain access and technical support to accelerate offline deployment. The two companies plan to jointly build a real-world training base and develop vertical embodied AI models for industrial and retail sectors, creating a closed loop from training to data accumulation, product iteration, and large-scale deployment.
Read sourceZhiyuan and ASD Partner to Deploy Lingxi X2 Robots in 100 Retail Stores Across China
On September 28, Zhiyuan (智元) and Chinese cookware brand ASD (爱仕达) launched a three-day livestream event at ASD's offline stores, showcasing the Lingxi X2 humanoid robot's capabilities in customer reception, needs analysis, product recommendation, and human-robot collaboration. During the livestream, the robot acts as a 'store promoter,' assisting with customer inquiries, product explanations, and recommendations based on family size, cooking habits, and budget. It coordinates with human staff for transactions and inventory checks. According to the report, 100 Lingxi X2 robots have been deployed across 100 ASD stores nationwide for real retail scenarios. Zhiyuan stated the 30-hour livestream aims to advance embodied intelligence from pilot demonstrations to regular, large-scale store operations. On July 6, ASD and Zhiyuan signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement to commercialize embodied intelligence robots. The partnership includes supply chain and technology coordination, with Zhiyuan providing quadruped robot supply chain access and AI technology to help ASD build local service teams. Long-term plans include establishing a real-scenario training base and jointly developing vertical embodied AI models for industrial and retail sectors, creating a closed loop from training to data collection, product iteration, and large-scale deployment.
Read sourceZhiyuan Partners with ASD to Launch Three-City Live Streams, Lingxi X2 Acts as Store Promoter
On September 28, 2024, at 10 a.m., Zhiyuan (智元) partnered with cookware brand ASD (爱仕达) to launch a three-city live streaming event at ASD's offline stores in Wenzhou, Shanghai, and Wuxi. During the live streams, Zhiyuan's humanoid robot, Lingxi X2 (灵犀X2), will serve as a 'store promoter,' handling customer reception, inquiry response, product explanation, recommendation, store navigation, and handover to human sales staff. According to the report, 100 Lingxi X2 units have already been deployed across 100 ASD stores nationwide to provide real retail scenario services. The article also includes financial data for ASD's stock, showing a current price of 10.3 yuan, a market cap of 3.51 billion yuan, and a negative P/E ratio of -18.78. The report is sourced from the Times Weekly (时代周报) and published on East Money's entrepreneurship research channel.
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Zhiyuan Partners with ASD to Launch Live-Streaming Sales with Lingxi X2 Robot as Promoter
On September 28, 2024, Zhiyuan (智元) partnered with Chinese cookware brand ASD (爱仕达) to launch a three-day, three-city live-streaming event at ASD's offline stores in Wenzhou, Shanghai, and Wuxi. During the event, Zhiyuan's humanoid robot, Lingxi X2 (灵犀X2), acts as a 'store promoter,' engaging in customer reception, needs inquiry, product explanation, selection recommendation, store navigation, and handover to human sales staff. The robot uses information such as family size, cooking habits, and budget to recommend suitable cookware. Human staff handle final transactions like pricing and inventory checks. According to the report, 100 Lingxi X2 units have already been deployed across 100 ASD stores nationwide for real retail service. The live-stream aims to demonstrate the robot's capabilities in customer interaction and human-robot collaboration, exploring the integration of embodied AI into offline retail workflows.
Read sourceZhiyuan Lingxi X2 humanoid robot works as store promoter in three-city live stream
On September 28, Chinese robotics company Zhiyuan partnered with cookware brand ASD to deploy 100 units of its Lingxi X2 humanoid robot across 100 physical stores nationwide. The robot acted as a 'store promoter' during a three-day, 10-hour-per-day live stream across Wenling, Shanghai, and Wuxi. Tasks included customer reception, needs inquiry, product explanation, recommendation, store navigation, and handover to human staff. The robot matched cookware products based on family size, cooking habits, and budget, while human staff handled pricing, inventory, and transactions. The event aimed to demonstrate the robot's capabilities in real retail scenarios and explore a path toward scaled, routine deployment of embodied intelligence in retail settings.
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