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China Daily / 2024-12 / 31 / Page009

Robots no more science fiction in real life

By Kang Bing | China Daily | Updated: 2024-12-31 00:00

I first learned about robots while reading a science fiction story more than 50 years ago. But I first saw what they looked like in Western movies, which began screened in China after the launch of reform and opening-up more than four decades ago.

The robots in Western movies had human-like metal bodies, moved slowly like zombies and spoke in a metallic voice. To me, they looked rather funny, although they had little to do with the Chinese people who, at the time, still relied on bicycles for commuting, hoes and sickles for farming and outdated machines for industrial production. I couldn't imagine even in my wildest dream that one day we could be surrounded by robots that would make our lives more convenient, or frustrating as experienced by some.

Today, it is more than likely that you would be welcomed by a "robot assistant" when walking into a bank, a robot that would tell you which window to go to for withdrawing or depositing money or for some other purposes. In some parks, robots, following you, may ask you to buy an ice cream or soft drink. The way robots speak reminds me of the little match girl in Hans Christian Andersen's story of the same name, prompting us to open our wallets.

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