The Inclusion·Conference on the Bund is being held at Shanghai Huangpu World Expo Park from Sept 10 to 13, bringing together global innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to explore the future of finance and technology in the age of AI.

As one of Asia's most influential fintech summits, the conference highlights how finance and technology can collaborate to drive innovation-led growth, while showcasing best practices from the global innovation ecosystem.

The upgraded Technology Exhibition and Technology Market — open to the public from day one — quickly became the main attraction, captivating visitors with humanoid robots, AI-powered health tools, and futuristic mobility solutions.

Record scale and innovations

This year's exhibition covers 10,000 square meters and the market another 5,000, with nearly 200 companies and over 30 product debuts. Organizers say it is the largest and most ambitious edition yet.

From humanoid robotics to embodied intelligence, AI healthcare, and autonomous driving, the event offers a front-row view of cutting-edge technologies seamlessly integrating into daily life.

Robots take center stage

• Noetix Robotics welcomed visitors with humanoid robots that recently won double gold medals in gymnastics and long jump at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games. The robots, integrated with multimodal large-model capabilities, can interact with people through voice, facial expressions and body movements.
• Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology, a subsidiary of Ant Group, showcased its R1 robot chef, demonstrating fully automated kitchen operations: identifying ingredients and cookware, stir-frying four dishes, and cleaning up — entirely without human assistance.
• Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center unveiled the ultra-lightweight humanoid Gongga No 1, the nation's only robot of its kind. In a live demo, it navigated a living-room setup to deliver drinks on command, demonstrating advanced spatial awareness.
• The AI robotics skills show recreated high-stakes scenarios, from flipping power switches and clearing explosives to rescuing "infants" from rubble, highlighting robots' potential in real-world emergency situations.

Health and human-centric AI

• AI healthcare app AQ introduced an AI-powered skin check that analyzes skin conditions, hair health, and even the traditional Chinese medicine constitution, a concept used in Chinese medical diagnostics. It also launched an AI anti-fraud zone to help seniors detect fake medical claims and scams.
• Fourier Intelligence allowed visitors to try the ArmMotus™ EMU robotic therapy system, providing precision rehabilitation training that simulates a therapist's touch in 3D space.

The future of mobility

Battery giant CATL presented its Bedrock Chassis, a modular vehicle platform for smart cars. Featuring standardized interfaces, the chassis supports upgradable autonomous driving systems — a "driving brain" that allows vehicles to evolve over time. This means a car built today can continue to improve its safety and autonomous capabilities in the years ahead without needing a complete replacement.

A marketplace of human-machine coexistence

At the Technology Market, interactive human-robot experiences blurred the line between innovation and entertainment:

• Kick a soccer ball with humanoid robots.
• Watch a live dance performance by a robot girl group powered by multimodal sensing.
• Order a cocktail from the Robot Bartender, served in just 150 seconds.

Exhibitors emphasized collaboration, adaptability, and mutual growth between humans and machines, presenting technology not just as a tool, but as a partner in daily life.

Sources: chinadaily.com.cn, official WeChat account of the publicity department of the CPC Huangpu district committee at "shhuangpu"