On March 26, 2026, the Haizhu Coffee Industry High-Quality Development Forum took place. AutoLife S2 Xiaozhi handled greeting, popcorn-scooping and coffee-serving — stealing the spotlight.
On March 26, 2026, the 2026 Haizhu Coffee Industry High-Quality Development Forum, hosted by Haizhu District People's Government and organized by the Haizhu Market Regulation Bureau, was held at the Crowne Plaza Window of Guangzhou. Hundreds of guests from government, associations, the coffee value chain and the press gathered to discuss innovation and growth in the coffee industry. Guangdong AutoLife brought its S2 humanoid robot Xiaozhi — and its all-around service performance made it the center of attention, a vivid fusion of tech and coffee.
At the entrance, the 1.7-meter silver-white streamlined Xiaozhi stayed on duty, bowing to guests with standard etiquette: "Hello, welcome to the Guangzhou Coffee Industry High-Quality Development Forum — enjoy the event!" Crisp speech and natural motion delivered a near-human experience that delighted many guests.
Xiaozhi took on greeting, guiding, conversational interaction and on-site service, embedding deeply as a "robot employee." Powered by AutoLife's multimodal perception system and high-precision motion-control algorithms, it recognizes guests in real time, greets proactively, and reliably handles guidance, narration and queries — breaking the stereotype of the "cold mechanical" robot.
Greeting is the basics — the fine-grained manipulation drew applause. At the AutoLife booth, Xiaozhi smoothly scooped popcorn and served coffee, showcasing real hand-eye coordination.
On command, the right arm extended; the gripper grasped the scoop, lifted steadily and poured into the cup with no spills. With both hands, Xiaozhi handed the cup to a guest — fluid, gentle motion. Onsite staff explained that the S2's arm has 7 degrees of freedom and high-precision force sensors, capable of grasping, transporting, pouring and serving — popcorn-scooping is a direct test of end-effector control. Xiaozhi also demonstrated handing over coffee and arranging cups, showing the breadth of commercial-service, smart-retail and home-companionship use cases. Guests said the stability and interaction of domestic humanoids exceeded expectations. Haizhu officials visited the AutoLife booth and paid close attention.
AutoLife's representative noted that the company has long explored the robot+coffee intersection, and the forum was a great matchmaking bridge. Initial collaborations were reached on-site with several coffee-supply-chain brands; "coffee + AI robot + collectibles" opens a new growth direction.
Major media — Guangdong TV, Guangzhou Daily, Southern Daily — gave focused coverage with hands-on interaction. A local coffee chain rep said multitasking humanoid robots can handle greeting, guidance and simple service; compared with single-purpose automation, they bring greater store experience and operational efficiency.
A cup of coffee carries craft; a robot carries technology. At the Haizhu Coffee Forum, Xiaozhi's polite greeting and precise service showcased the strength and warmth of Chinese humanoid robotics. AutoLife continues to invest in core technology, driving S2 toward large-scale deployment in commercial service, smart home and public service.