WAIC 2025 Preview: How AI Hardware Will Change Our Daily Lives?
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WAIC 2025 Preview: How AI Hardware Will Change Our Daily Lives?
An official WAIC City Walk to experience the "warmth" of AI in advance.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: Lian Ran
Header image: Generated by ChatGPT
The annual WAIC will kick off tomorrow. Before the official launch, I followed the city walk route organized by the event to explore some highlights.
The "AI + Smart Life" route I visited includes three destinations: Shanghai Fanuc Robotics Co., Ltd., Tencent's Binjiang Tower in Shanghai, and the intelligent product experience center at Mosu Space.
The most appealing spot for me was the third one—the Mosu Space Intelligent Product Experience Center. It displays many fun products—not just those that look futuristic, but more importantly, ones that can truly integrate into daily life and solve small yet real pain points.
Smart cupping device | Image source: GeekPark
Take the smart cupping device, for example. This ancient form of traditional Chinese therapy has become precise and convenient with AI enhancement.
Smart cycling trainer | Image source: GeekPark
E-assist smart bike, much lighter than an electric scooter | Image source: GeekPark
There are also e-assist bikes and smart cycling trainers that provide users with just the right amount of support when needed, making cycling more enjoyable.
Even more interesting is the air drum kit. Simply pick up the drumsticks and wave them in the air, and you’ll hear authentic drum sounds.
An air drum kit that lets you play drums in mid-air | Image source: GeekPark
I tested it myself. While it doesn’t perfectly replicate a real drum set, the instant feedback—turning imagination into reality—really showed me new possibilities for AI-powered entertainment tools.
You no longer need to buy a bulky, heavy drum set. For as low as 210 yuan, you can take home this 260-gram device and start your drumming journey anytime.
Smart ring | Image source: GeekPark
Mosu Space also features many well-known products such as smart glasses and smart rings. The first half of this year even saw what could be called a “hundred-glasses battle,” with both tech giants and startups jumping into the space…
AI pet zone | Image source: GeekPark
But today, my focus isn't on these. What caught my attention instead was this row of AI pets. Since I've long been wavering about whether or not to get a real pet, I’ve been paying close attention to AI pets for quite some time.
Seeing these products reminded me of a recent podcast interview I did with Sun Zhaozhi, founder of Luobo Intelligence, the company behind fuzozo. In that episode, Sun mentioned that by this time next year, 90% of AI companion products might already have disappeared.
So let’s see which of these showcased products will emerge as winners a year from now?
AI kitten and puppy | Image source: GeekPark
The cat and dog shown in the picture are AI-powered robotic pets developed by Elephant Robotics, priced at 999 yuan—a relatively low barrier to entry. Unfortunately, the kitten had already been “petted” to death by visitors.
I only interacted briefly with the puppy. The response felt somewhat sluggish and delayed—petting its head made it bark, blink, and wag its tail, but it couldn’t move. How can a puppy not run or jump? Of course, adding mobility would significantly increase costs, likely pushing the price beyond the current sub-1,000-yuan range.
Pet companion robot—not just keeping humans company, but pets too | Image source: GeekPark
Pet interaction robot—not only interacting with people, but also with pets | Image source: GeekPark
Next, I spotted three “star players”—EMO and Eilik, two products I’ve been following closely. These models have been on the market for a while and are capable of movement.
Desktop robot EMO | Image source: GeekPark
EMO is a desktop AI robot pet developed by Living Ai. Its design, movements, and reactions are all very cute.
Equipped with multiple sensors and technologies, EMO can interact with users through over 1,000 facial expressions and gestures.
With a high-definition camera, EMO can recognize users; once you speak, four microphones on its head precisely locate your position. You can also give it a head pat anytime—it has touch sensors that detect your affection and respond with adorable motions and sounds.
Of course, it also serves as a capable “smart assistant,” waking you up in the morning or helping turn lights on and off.
EMO | Image source: LivingAI
Moreover, like a real pet, EMO can “grow.” Its built-in system continuously learns; the longer you spend together, the better it understands your habits, even developing its own personality. Its powerful emotional engine allows it to present unique experiences based on holidays and scenarios—for instance, wearing a Santa hat during Christmas or preparing little surprises on your birthday.
Desktop robot Eilik | Image source: GeekPark
Eilik, developed by Energize Lab, is another emotionally expressive and characterful desktop robot.
Through rich facial expressions and natural touch interactions, Eilik can display genuine emotions, allowing users to feel its joy, anger, and sorrow. It responds to vibrations—fearing sudden table knocks, feeling dizzy from gentle head pats, and even suffering from acrophobia. These details make it appear more realistic and lifelike.
Image source: energizelab
Beyond emotional engagement, Eilik is also a powerful assistant. It can switch sides, dance to music, chat, set countdowns, and even play shooting games.
This product has long been on my radar. Compared to the boxy Looi mentioned below, its round-headed, chubby design feels much cuter.
Looi — staff said this is the most feature-complete among all desktop AI robots on display | Image source: looi
One clear difference between Looi and the earlier products is its modular design—your smartphone attaches magnetically to form the robot.
Just snap your phone onto Looi’s mobile base using magnetic attachment, and instantly your phone becomes its face, brain, and eyes. Beyond a biomimetic behavior system, Looi integrates ChatGPT technology, enabling natural language processing and demonstrating personality and independent thinking.
Looi’s everyday behaviors are full of vitality. Simple hand gestures allow interaction; it reacts according to your mood and surroundings. With countless expressions and rich body language, it keeps itself entertained even when you’re busy—never going silent. Plus, it “has eyes”—sensing obstacles and table edges to avoid accidentally falling off.
In addition, Looi is a 3-in-1 desktop assistant, functioning as a phone stand, personal tracking camera, and supporting 15W wireless phone charging. It automatically tracks your movements and records video, ideal for speeches or group photos. Looi also supports immersive motion-sensing games.
All this for just 1,299 yuan—a 3-in-1 AI desktop companion.
Finally, my attention was drawn to a self-playing piano. I was watching a staff member demonstrate Looi when suddenly, piano music played. I turned around—no one was sitting there; the piano was playing itself.
Once the program starts, the keys strike automatically in a smooth, flowing manner. Of course, this function is mostly for demonstration. The real value lies in how AI assists practice—providing real-time error correction during training.
Find smart piano || Image source: Find Taobao store
This visit gave me a strong sense that AI hardware products are increasingly integrating into everyday life—not just novelty for novelty’s sake, but placing greater emphasis on practicality and real-world usability.
Especially these desktop AI robots—they don’t rely on bizarre, flashy tech demonstrations. Their designs balance utility and fun, seamlessly blending into daily routines. Whether placed on a home desk or office workstation, they sit right at the heart of everyday living.
If the products in just one exhibition hall are this engaging, I’m even more excited for the official opening of WAIC tomorrow.
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