The robot students register at the school. [Photo/Yuhang district]

China's first robot school opened in Yuhang district, Hangzhou, on June 29, marking a new milestone in the commercialization and real-world deployment of intelligent robots.

Jointly established by the Zhejiang University Institute of Robotics, the Zhejiang Institute of Quality Sciences and leading industry partners, the robot school aims to equip robots with advanced AI "brains", practical skills and industry certifications before they enter the workforce.

Its inaugural class includes 30 robots from sectors such as manufacturing, services, security and entertainment. Students will undergo health checks, specialized training and real-world assessments before earning professional skill certificates qualifying them for specific jobs.

The school is powered by Zhejiang University's WJ-Brain system, which adds logical reasoning to traditional vision-language-action models, enabling robots to better understand unfamiliar situations, plan tasks and make decisions rather than simply following pre-programmed responses.

Training is divided into four tracks — including industrial, healthcare, arts and sports applications — and covers ethics, perception, mobility, aesthetics and practical operations. Graduates are expected to work in factories, museums, communities and other real-life settings while continuing to learn and improve through AI-driven updates.

Following its opening ceremony, the school will also welcome the public to experience robots serving coffee, guiding visitors and engaging in multilingual conversations.

Two robot students engage in hand-to-hand combat. [Photo/Yuhang district]