Milton Keynes is home to a successful fleet of Starship delivery robots that deliver groceries and food, fostering a largely positive human-robot bond. These cute, little robot characters coexist with humans on the city’s wide footpaths, operating in an “awareness bubble” to signal their presence and offer thanks for assistance.

Meet Up’s owner Yong Wang saw Shadow as a remedy to the challenges of COVID — her Mandarin name, “Shadu,” translates roughly to “disinfect” — and her novelty did create buzz, catch headlines, and more than triple sales during that tough time. But ChaCha represents an even brighter hope for Wang, and very possibly a new future for all of us.