PHOTO / CHINA
Robot tea picker
Published: May 21, 2026 10:19 PM
A humanoid robot learns to pluck fresh tea leaves under the guidance of staff at a tea plantation in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on May 21. 2026. Combining image data of tea buds and leaves with AI recognition models and algorithms, the robot can identify and pinpoint foliage that meets picking criteria, then harvest qualified tea leaves with its bionic intelligent hands. Photo: VCG

A humanoid robot learns to pluck fresh tea leaves under the guidance of staff at a tea plantation in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on May 21. 2026. Combining image data of tea buds and leaves with AI recognition models and algorithms, the robot can identify and pinpoint foliage that meets picking criteria, then harvest qualified tea leaves with its bionic intelligent hands. Photo: VCG