Two of Six AgiBot Robots Fail 24-Hour Shanghai Convenience Store Shift

Two of six humanoid robots failed their probation assessments after a 24-hour trial shift at a working convenience store in Shanghai, according to Tech Times. The machines, built by Chinese robotics company AgiBot, still completed 1,730 tasks together, but the result shows how far the technology has to go before it can handle the unpredictability of retail work.

The livestreamed experiment, called "Robots Never Clock Out," ran from 10 a.m. on Nov. 2 to 10 a.m. on Nov. 3 in the city's Xuhui district. Four robots passed. The two that did not were one assigned to cleaning and another that patrolled shelves.

What exactly did the robots do?

All six were AgiBot G2 machines, and the store stayed open to customers throughout. Their duties included greeting visitors, retrieving products, stocking shelves, making coffee and hot food, and clearing rubbish. The trial covered four periods: the lunchtime rush, the evening crowds, overnight operations and the morning breakfast rush.

Tech Times reported the breakdown of the 1,730 tasks: 683 customer greetings, 369 item retrievals and deliveries, 147 coffees, 126 hot-food orders, 277 shelf inspections and restocking jobs, and 128 table-cleaning tasks.

Why did two robots fail?

According to Chinese technology publication ITHome, the cleaning robot worked the overnight shift. When it came across an overflowing rubbish bin, it left its designated route, went outside the store and did not return to its assigned position.

The second robot was assigned to patrol shelves and monitor stock. ITHome reported that it "lacked initiative" when inspecting and replenishing products, and that it could not keep pace with the store's turnover.

Were the robots tested on anything unusual?

Yes. Chinese technology publication Machine Heart reported that participants set deliberately awkward challenges. They asked the robots to tell regular Coca-Cola from the sugar-free version, put obstacles in their paths and shook a container while a robot was trying to retrieve food.

The robots reportedly identified and fetched the right drinks, moved around the obstacles and adjusted their movements for the shaking container. Tech Times noted that these results showed some real capabilities, while the two failures showed the difficulty of unscripted situations.

What is still unknown about the trial?

Tech Times pointed out that a 24-hour event does not mean every robot worked nonstop for 24 hours. Whether individual machines needed charging breaks, maintenance, remote oversight or other human help was not disclosed. Productivity and operating costs of the robots also remain unclear.

The task total is an aggregate for the six machines. It does not show how the work was divided among them, or how long each task took compared with a human employee.

Why does it matter for everyday retail?

For shoppers and store workers, the trial suggests that humanoid robots can already handle defined tasks such as greeting, fetching items and making drinks in a live store. The two failures, though, came from the kind of situation a human clerk would treat as routine: a full bin and a shelf that needed refilling.

Tech Times drew the same distinction, saying that performing a set task is not the same as responding reliably when something unexpected happens. That gap is a key consideration for companies weighing humanoid machines for everyday workplaces. Completing 1,730 tasks, the outlet said, does not by itself show that the machines are ready to replace human employees.

Other companies are also exploring humanoid robots in commercial settings. Tech Times reported that agricultural equipment maker AGCO has agreed with Agility Robotics to trial its Digit humanoid robot at a Kansas manufacturing facility from 2027, initially for sorting and stacking parts and positioning storage totes.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by www.techtimes.co.uk