When the China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) rolls into Shenzhen each November, it’s less a trade show and more a panoramic snapshot of China’s technology ambitions. Now in its 27th year, the 2025 edition was sprawling even by the event’s usual standards—400,000 square meters of exhibits, more than 4,000 companies, 10,000-plus projects, and a staggering 450,000 professional attendees moving through the halls of the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center.
Think CES with a more industrial backbone, a heavier dose of policy alignment, and far more robots making beverages.
Among those robots, one company stood out: Anno Robot, a Shenzhen-based automation manufacturer showcasing a full suite of drink-making systems—from AI latte-art machines to portable bartender kiosks. While beverage robots have appeared at past CHTF events, the density and maturity of this year’s deployments hinted at a market moving from novelty to normalized infrastructure.
But to understand why Anno Robot drew so much attention, it’s worth looking at the broader context of CHTF itself.
China Hi-Tech Fair: A Brief History of a Quietly Influential Global Event
Launched in 1999 and co-organized by five major government bodies—including the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology—CHTF has grown into the largest and arguably most influential technology exhibition in China. Internationally, it occupies a unique lane: not only a showcase of emerging tech but also a policy-aligned platform for national industrial strategy, talent development, and R&D planning.
Across its first 26 editions, CHTF has amassed:
- 70,000+ total exhibitors
- 1 million+ cumulative projects displayed
- Tens of millions of professional visitors
- Thousands of tech-transfer deals valued in billions of yuan
It was one of the earliest venues to preview what later became mainstream: early 5G infrastructure demos, the first wave of modern electric vehicles, and key semiconductor breakthroughs. CHTF essentially serves as a lighthouse for China’s future industrial direction—shining a light on what technologies the country wants to accelerate and export.
Each year includes high-level forums featuring ministry officials, policymakers, academics, and CEOs from key sectors. It’s not just a trade show; it’s a national technology barometer.
The 27th CHTF: Larger, Louder, and More AI Than Ever
Held from November 14–16, 2025, this year’s fair took over the entire Bao’an New Hall of the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The numbers reflect the scale:
- 400,000 m² of exhibition area
- 4,000+ exhibitors
- 10,000+ displayed projects
- 200+ conferences and launches
- Attendees from 30+ countries
The international section included delegations focusing on cross-border R&D, supply chain alignment, and emerging dual-use technologies. Specialized zones—22 in total—offered a curated look at China’s tech priorities:
- Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
- Semiconductors & Integrated Circuits
- Low-Altitude Economy (drones, air mobility)
- New Quality Productive Forces
- National Major Equipment
While there were industrial robots, chip fabs, and aerospace tech on display, the beverage automation segment—particularly in Halls 13 and 15—saw some of the heaviest foot traffic. Part of the appeal is simple: food and beverage robots are tangible, visual, and immediately interactive. But the deeper reason is that retail automation is becoming a serious national initiative, especially as labor shortages and operating costs rise in urban commercial districts.
That backdrop explains why Anno Robot operated across five halls, each packed with visitors ordering coffee, bubble tea, cocktails, and ice cream from robotic kiosks.
Anno Robot: Automation for the Everyday Consumer Moment
Founded in 2017, Anno Robot (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. has grown into a recognized high-tech enterprise with more than 70 national patents, a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, and certifications spanning ISO, CE, and FCC. This year’s CHTF presence was its most expansive to date, highlighting a product line designed for high-traffic retail settings, transit hubs, and unattended service points.
Across Halls 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15, the company deployed:
- AI Coffee Robot (Latte Art & Printing)
- AI Coffee Robot (Fresh-Grind Kiosk)
- AI Ice Cream Robot Sundae Kiosk
- Mini AI Bartender Robot Kiosk
- AI Bubble Tea Robot Kiosk
Visitors could walk up, scan via WeChat mini-program, place an order, and watch the robotic arms perform with crisp repeatability—occasionally drawing crowds with latte art or cocktail displays.
The machines share a unified design language: 6-axis robotic arms, fully enclosed and sanitized preparation zones, 24-hour continuous operation, and remote monitoring via cloud dashboards. For operators, these are plug-and-run retail assets; for customers, they’re an example of AI meeting real-world service expectations.
Inside the Systems: How Each Robot Works
Anno Robot’s lineup is broad, but each system has a clear purpose, optimized workflow, and defined use case.
AI Coffee Robot Latte Art & Printing Kiosk
- Closed-type, single robotic arm
- Produces latte art or printed designs in 90 seconds
- Uses vision recognition + 3D modeling for precision
- Supports multiple coffee styles and payment methods
- Ideal for retail stores, airports, and event centers
This unit drew particular attention because it blends robotics with creative output—an area where most beverage machines still fall short. Watching a robot compose a 3D-modeled swan or portrait in foam tends to generate a line all on its own.
AI Fresh-Grind Coffee Kiosk
- Footprint under 2.5 m²
- Offers 50+ drink variations
- Automates grinding, tamping, extraction, frothing, and cleaning
- Simplifies deployment in office buildings and malls
This kiosk is more utilitarian than showy but demonstrates the company’s engineering depth. It competes in a rapidly growing field of “robotic barista” and unattended premium coffee stations—one of the fastest-scaling categories in global retail automation.
AI Ice Cream Robot Sundae Machine
- Soft-serve dispensing in 30 seconds
- 20+ topping combinations
- Auto-cleaning and refrigeration safety controls
- Compact, plug-in operational footprint
Given China’s fast-growing self-service dessert market, this unit generated steady lines throughout the event.
Mini AI Bartender Robot Kiosk
- Ultra-portable mixology robot
- 12 base spirits + 4 mixers
- Prepares cocktails in 45 seconds
- Designed for bars, hotels, lounges, and VIP events
Cocktail robots have been around for years, but few are compact enough for casual deployment. This one appears targeted at venues seeking low-labor, high-theater F&B options.
AI Bubble Tea Robot Kiosk
- Footprint of 3 m²
- Milk tea produced in 90 seconds
- Supports customizable tea bases, temperature control, and toppings
Given China’s bubble tea obsession—an industry estimated at well over $20 billion—robots here are less novelty and more inevitability.
A Multi-Hall Demonstration Strategy
Anno Robot went wide rather than deep, spreading its deployments across five halls to maximize exposure and use-case variety:
- Hall 9 (News Center): AI coffee robot, AI ice cream robot
- Hall 10 (Negotiation Zone): AI coffee robot
- Hall 11 (Rest Area): AI coffee robot, AI ice cream robot
- Hall 13 (Robot & Coffee Zone): Latte-art coffee robot, bubble tea robot, ice cream robot
- Hall 15 (Coffee Zone & B3): Coffee printing kiosk, mini bartender robot, bubble tea robot
The logic is clear: demonstrate reliability under actual foot traffic across different environments. Robots performed thousands of orders during the three-day event, giving Anno Robot one of the largest real-world stress tests an automation company could ask for.
Why Beverage Robots Matter (and Why China Is Accelerating the Trend)
While beverage robots capture media attention because they’re visual and consumer-friendly, their significance is tied to deeper market forces:
1. Rising Labor Costs and Shortages
Urban foodservice sectors across China—and globally—are facing acute staffing shortages. Automation fills the gap, not as a gimmick, but as predictable labor.
2. The Convenience Retail Boom
Unattended kiosks, 24/7 stores, and small-format retail are exploding across Asia. Robots thrive in these environments.
3. Hygiene and Consistency Expectations
Robots are consistent, closed, and clean—an appealing pitch for both operators and consumers in a post-pandemic world.
4. AI + Robotics Maturity
Thanks to cheaper sensors, more capable arms, and cloud-linked maintenance, these systems have crossed the threshold from “novel” to “operationally feasible.”
5. Policy Support
China’s “New Quality Productive Forces” framework explicitly encourages automation in service industries.
Anno Robot sits neatly at the intersection of these five trends.
The Wider Robotics Landscape at CHTF 2025
Although beverage robots attracted big crowds, they were only part of the robotics picture:
- Autonomous warehouse robots showed advanced path-planning and palletizing.
- Surgical robotics teams previewed minimally invasive precision systems.
- Companion and eldercare robots demonstrated natural-language interactions and mobility.
- Drone and low-altitude economy companies showcased cargo delivery and emergency-response units.
The unifying theme: AI applied to real-world hardware at commercial scale. This reflects a global robotics trend—moving beyond experimental demos to economically viable deployments.
Anno Robot’s kiosks, in that sense, aren’t trying to be futuristic. They’re trying to be reliable, affordable, and everywhere.
Strategic Takeaway: Automation Is Becoming an Everyday Expectation
The 27th China Hi-Tech Fair made one thing clear: AI and robotics are no longer siloed technologies—they’re merging into practical retail, industrial, and commercial systems at accelerating speed.
Anno Robot’s multi-hall presence at CHTF demonstrates how far service robotics has come. What was once a curiosity is edging toward standard infrastructure for airports, stations, malls, campuses, stadiums, and smart city districts.
If the next few years mirror the trajectory shown at CHTF 2025, unattended robotic beverage kiosks could become as common in China as self-checkout stations in the U.S.
The consumer may not even notice. And that’s when you know automation has truly arrived.
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