"It's the first time that I've actually seen the humanoid robots and learned their uses in different applications," said Ananth Krishnan, an Indian reporter who visited the store on Friday. "It was quite interesting in terms of robots caring for older people, as this is a big problem for China."

"We want to build a platform that bridges the market, robotics companies, and research institutions," said Li Tianlei, deputy director of commercial operations at Beijing E-Town Robot Technology Industry Development Co, which operates Robot World. The store's sales have already topped 30 million yuan ($4.44 million) since last August, Li said.