"Drawing on years of industry data, we have begun building digital platforms powered by large language models and private knowledge bases," Ding told Xinhua. "Besides answering questions for families and caregivers alike, they can also generate detailed digital profiles of domestic workers, allowing platforms to match clients with suitable candidates from databases containing tens of thousands of service providers."

　　Robots are entering the scene as well. In nursing homes and private households across several Chinese cities, a companion robot known as Xiaoli monitors blood pressure and oxygen levels, alerts relatives when unusual situations are detected, and offers conversation to lonely residents.

　　"Focusing on seniors' needs for safety, health monitoring and companionship, we have developed two versions of the robot, one for eldercare institutions and another for home-based care, and will continue to upgrade its service capabilities," said Li Yang with Beijing-based Seelink Technology Co., Ltd., Xiaoli's developer.

　　More ambitious experiments are underway. Engineers at Zerith, a Hefei-based robotics firm, have trained a wheeled humanoid robot in a mock apartment: with the robot taught to wipe tables, fold laundry and vacuum across tiled floors.

　　Designed with a wheeled chassis, this robot is for now deployed mainly in hotels, airports and shopping centers, controlled environments where repetitive tasks provide useful training data.

　　"But we see domestic life as the ultimate proving ground," said Yang Wei, chief branding officer of the company.

　　This trend in the tech-powered domestic service industry is being nudged by increasing demand and policy support.