AI rewires consumption

Visitors learn about AI glasses at the booth of Rokid,丽水市政府新闻网 a Hangzhou-based technology company, during the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, April 14, 2026. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

HAIKOU, April 16 (Xinhua) -- At the technology exhibition zone of the ongoing sixth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), a variety of innovative products featuring cutting-edge AI technologies are on display. These offerings are captivating visitors by providing a tangible vision of future daily life, while also showcasing China's emergence as a global testbed for smart consumption.

This year's standout exhibit is a flying car -- once a fixture of science fiction, now a tangible innovation. ARIDGE, a pioneering developer of low-altitude mobility solutions based in south China's Guangdong Province, unveiled the world's first modular flying car at the expo. Dubbed the "Land Aircraft Carrier," the vehicle was showcased during the event, held from April 13 to 18 in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province.

The company seeks to leverage the CICPE platform to transition this flying car from a technological exploration into a product with broader consumer awareness and practical real-world applications.

The "Land Aircraft Carrier" consists of two parts: a sci-fi-looking ground vehicle and an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. According to a staff member at the booth, the aircraft can be folded and stored in the trunk of the ground vehicle, and the two can automatically separate or combine within five minutes.

The ground vehicle combines transport, storage and recharging functions, making it well suited to daily commuting and other uses including off-road driving, low-altitude tourism and emergency rescue.

AI is a key technology that has made this flying car a reality. Its pioneering single-lever control system makes flying as easy as driving, while the intelligent flight control system ensures safety and lowers the learning curve. "With approved airspace and an instructor, anyone can learn to operate it quickly," ARIDGE Vice President Li Rui said.

In March this year, five "Land Aircraft Carriers" rolled off the assembly line on the same day and completed multi-aircraft test flights at ARIDGE's mass production plant in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, marking the product's official entry into the commercial production preparation phase. Once operating at full capacity, the plant will be able to produce one aircraft every 30 minutes, according to the company.

With over 7,000 orders already placed for the "Land Aircraft Carrier," Li is confident about the future of the low-altitude economy, which has become a national emerging pillar industry. He called for more innovators to enrich the low-altitude travel ecosystem and deliver greater convenience to the public.

AI glasses have been the most popular tech category at this year's CICPE, with leading domestic brands attracting strong interest and visitors crowding their booths to try the products firsthand.

Hangzhou Lingban Technology Ltd. from east China's Zhejiang Province made its first solo appearance at the CICPE with its Rokid AI glasses. Weighing only 49 grams and looking like regular black-framed glasses, the device supports photo and video capture, real-time navigation, translation, and payment. At this edition of the expo, Rokid also debuted a 24/7 captioning feature to assist hearing-impaired users.

The glasses integrate core AI and AR technologies to project digital information into the user's field of view, according to booth staffer Ye Ziling. With access to mainstream large language model services, including Qwen and Doubao, they offer an open smart assistant experience. Ye believes the glasses are quietly changing daily life. Cyclists, for instance, can navigate and take photos hands-free without touching their phones, making rides safer and more convenient.

"We've received significant interest from foreign users," Ye said. Currently, the AI glasses have users in over 100 countries and regions worldwide.

In addition to AI glasses from brands such as Rokid and Chinese AI company iFLYTEK, the first HarmonyOS-powered AI glasses from Huawei, set to be officially unveiled in April, made an early debut at this year's CICPE.

The buzz at the AI glasses booths echoes the explosive growth of the consumer market last year. According to Omdia, a tech consultancy in London, global smart glasses shipments reached 8.7 million units in 2025, a year-on-year surge of 322 percent. China has become the world's fastest-growing market for AI glasses, with annual shipments approaching 1 million units.

Zhu Mingming, founder and CEO of Hangzhou Lingban Technology Ltd., revealed that Rokid AI glasses secured 300,000 orders in 2025, with shipments nine times the previous year. The user base is also expanding beyond tech circles, as the share of tech professionals fell from 50 percent to around 16 percent.

As a regular of the CICPE, Cai Yiping, head of brand management at Singapore-based massage chair brand OSIM (China), noted a significant rise in AI elements at this year's expo. In health and wellness, AI is driving a shift toward smarter and more personalized consumption.

This year, OSIM, a six-time exhibitor at the expo, launched its annual AI flagship -- the uDream AI wellness chair. According to Cai, the chair can capture health data, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and stress index, through a facial scan in just tens of seconds, enabling a physical health assessment. It then delivers a personalized massage plan tailored to the user, precisely relieving both physical fatigue and mental stress.

"China has long transcended the role of a major sales market. It has become a source of inspiration and a strategic high ground for global innovation," said Deserine Lim, OSIM general manager of HQ Management and East China. "Many of our deep insights into family health scenarios and product innovations stem from a profound understanding of the needs of Chinese consumers."

China's latest five-year plan (2026-2030) calls for the full implementation of an "AI plus" initiative to integrate AI into all sectors of the economy. Even before that, a State Council guideline last year had already set out to foster new forms of AI-powered product consumption.

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