Humans are now training robots by doing household chores in China. The pay can go up to ₹85,000 a month
As humanoid robots move closer to everyday use, Chinese companies are hiring people to capture the human movements needed to teach machines how to navigate homes, workplaces and real-world environments.
- Oct 18, 2026,
- Updated Oct 18, 2026 1:33 PM IST
China is seeing a growing number of freelance “robot trainers” who use motion-capture equipment to record everyday human movements, such as picking up cups, opening bottle caps and washing dishes, creating data that can later be converted into training sets for robots working in settings ranging from kitchens and factories to supermarkets, South China Morning Post reported.
Such jobs are increasingly being advertised on mainland social media and job platforms. They reportedly pay trainers between 4,000 yuan (₹56,840) and 6,000 yuan (₹85,260) a month and are attracting unemployed workers and young people looking for flexible jobs.
Liu Yun, 40, entered the field after losing her job in the automotive industry and struggling to find new work because of her age.
At a Beijing studio, Liu wore a sensor bracelet and finger-mounted chips and followed instructions on a computer screen as she repeated movements such as moving cups and scrubbing surfaces.
“Rather than training robots, it feels more like teaching a two-year-old child,” Liu told Jizhou Studio, a mainland media outlet.
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Her every movement was monitored, while large screens ranked workers based on productivity and accuracy. The daily quota was 160 samples, while top performers completed more than 260.
For Liu, the repetitive work quickly became exhausting. Washing dishes and wiping tables 200 times a day was already her limit.
Students and unemployed workers join
Sun, 22, a student from Shanxi province in northern China, took the job during his summer break while looking for an internship. His assignments included folding clothes, sweeping floors and recording standardised movements for robot training.
The work paid 120 yuan (₹1,705) for a day shift and 135 yuan (₹1,918) for a night shift, but turnover was high, with many workers leaving after just a few weeks. Sun found the income insufficient to make up for the physical and mental strain of repetitive work.
For others, the work offers flexibility.
Guo Hongjuan, from Jiangsu province in eastern China, works from home for about six hours a day, collecting data through tasks such as arranging books, wiping tables and moving objects. She earns around 4,000 yuan (₹56,840) a month and says the arrangement allows her to work while caring for her child.
China is seeing a growing number of freelance “robot trainers” who use motion-capture equipment to record everyday human movements, such as picking up cups, opening bottle caps and washing dishes, creating data that can later be converted into training sets for robots working in settings ranging from kitchens and factories to supermarkets, South China Morning Post reported.
Such jobs are increasingly being advertised on mainland social media and job platforms. They reportedly pay trainers between 4,000 yuan (₹56,840) and 6,000 yuan (₹85,260) a month and are attracting unemployed workers and young people looking for flexible jobs.
Liu Yun, 40, entered the field after losing her job in the automotive industry and struggling to find new work because of her age.
At a Beijing studio, Liu wore a sensor bracelet and finger-mounted chips and followed instructions on a computer screen as she repeated movements such as moving cups and scrubbing surfaces.
“Rather than training robots, it feels more like teaching a two-year-old child,” Liu told Jizhou Studio, a mainland media outlet.
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Her every movement was monitored, while large screens ranked workers based on productivity and accuracy. The daily quota was 160 samples, while top performers completed more than 260.
For Liu, the repetitive work quickly became exhausting. Washing dishes and wiping tables 200 times a day was already her limit.
Students and unemployed workers join
Sun, 22, a student from Shanxi province in northern China, took the job during his summer break while looking for an internship. His assignments included folding clothes, sweeping floors and recording standardised movements for robot training.
The work paid 120 yuan (₹1,705) for a day shift and 135 yuan (₹1,918) for a night shift, but turnover was high, with many workers leaving after just a few weeks. Sun found the income insufficient to make up for the physical and mental strain of repetitive work.
For others, the work offers flexibility.
Guo Hongjuan, from Jiangsu province in eastern China, works from home for about six hours a day, collecting data through tasks such as arranging books, wiping tables and moving objects. She earns around 4,000 yuan (₹56,840) a month and says the arrangement allows her to work while caring for her child.