China's first pharmacy robot has begun operating in Beijing's Haidian District, marking a new real-world application of embodied intelligence in the healthcare retail sector.

The Galbot G1 robots have been trained to serve as sales assistants, as long as the operating company holds a valid permit for pharmaceutical distribution.

The robots, developed by Beijing Galbot Co., Ltd., can locate medicines placed on the shelves, pick them up and package them before placing the order in a smart pickup cabinet.

Designed for retail scenarios, the system supports the sale of medicines, medical devices and packaged health products, and can automate processes such as inventory checks, replenishment, picking and packaging.

The robot can handle items made of various materials, including fragile or irregularly-shaped packages, with a reported grasping success rate of about 99.5%.

In practical operation, the robot can provide 24/7 service in a roughly 70-square-meter pharmacy, while an optimized storage system allows the store to display around 5,000 drug stock-keeping units.

Pharmacy staff told China News Service that the system can autonomously handle order processing, sorting, packaging, replenishment and inventory management, reducing labor demand by more than half.

This allows licensed pharmacists to focus more on professional tasks such as prescription review and medication guidance.

The pharmacy robot also integrates artificial intelligence (AI) visual recognition and traceability code scanning to record the lifecycle data of medicines and help prevent expired or recycled drugs from entering the market.

Local regulators say the pilot program reflects broader efforts to explore "AI plus healthcare" applications and expand smart service models in community pharmacies.