'No resistance'

Han, the operator, said she has been surprised by how readily seniors have taken to the gadgets.

"I haven't seen much resistance at all," she said. "When they walk in and see what the robots can do, they say,'Wow, it can do that?' It creates a sense of expectation and hope for life."

She recalled one visitor in his 80s who initially seemed hesitant. "After he tried the massage robot, he said, 'This is not the cold, hard machine I imagined. It feels warm and soft.' That kind of reaction tells me we are on the right track."

Still, the technology has limits. A painting robot on the second floor, designed to teach children shapes and colors, took nearly a minute to sketch a simple car — a delay that tried adults' patience.

The station's robots are funded largely by the local government, which buys or leases the most-used machines. Suppliers provide display robots for free. User fees — 68 yuan for an hour of robot massage — remain well below market rates, suggesting heavy subsidies.

But officials say the immediate goal is not profit.

"We are still in the data-collection phase," said Zhang, the subdistrict official. "The real value is creating a virtuous cycle: technology improves services, services generate feedback, and feedback drives better technology."

Back in the canteen, Ren finished her lunch and wiped her mouth. She said she would return for the food, not the robots.

"I can still walk and take care of myself," she said. "But it's good to know that when the day comes that I can't, this place is here. And they have all these machines that might help."

She paused and looked around the dining room, where other seniors were laughing over plates of stir-fried greens and braised tofu.

"Having a place like this in your neighborhood — it gives you confidence," she said. "You don't feel so alone facing old age."

lilei@chinadaily.com.cn