Beijing robot fiesta attracts tech lovers as China expects robust industry growth

Jia Jia, an interactive robot, stands in the venue of the 2016 World Robot Conference in Beijing, Oct. 22, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua by Wang Yue]

Jia Jia is the brain child of a team from the University of Science and Technology of China in east China's Anhui Province. The researchers said there are still space for improvements so that the "goddess" can have more facial expressions and interact more deeply with people.

With an aging workforce and rising labor costs, China is determined to drive robot development. According to statistics released by the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, the output value of China's homegrown robots in 2015 stood at 1.64 billion yuan (243 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 55 percent.