Wang Ganghui, the showroom manager of Aican Robot Group, operates a smart cooking robot at Yiwu's Global Digital Trade Center. [Photo/Tide News]

A new smart cooking robot is gaining attention in Yiwu, Jinhua, Zhejiang province. With just a press of a button, it can prepare a dish in under three minutes.

At Aican Robot Group's showroom in Yiwu's Global Digital Trade Center, manager Wang Ganghui discussed issues faced by overseas Chinese restaurants, such as a lack of chefs and high labor expenses. Aican's AI technology replicates human cooking skills and schedules ingredient addition, and it can perform washing.

"The challenge in standardizing Chinese cuisine lies in heat control," Wang explained. Traditional kitchens rely on chefs' experience for heat management, while Aican's smart cooker ensures precise temperature control and prepares dishes swiftly.

The device now includes over 1,000 Chinese recipes from the eight major cuisines, with updates shared globally via the cloud. Energy monitoring reduces waste and cuts costs.

Wang added that beyond stir-frying, the robot can switch to steaming, frying, and boiling, adapting to personal tastes.

Already implemented in over 1,000 domestic canteens, the smart cooker entered the Yiwu market in April and has been exported to 16 countries and regions, including the United States and Russia, with exports exceeding 40 million yuan ($5.93 million) this year.