Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

I often wish I could own a dog, but there is no way I could with my crazy work schedule and tiny Beijing apartment. However, when I saw an ad for an electronic pup, I was excited that my dream could finally come true without neglecting a live animal.

I came across the ad for my new not-so-furry friend when an article came up in my WeChat Moments about the 2018 Electronics Consumer Expo in Beijing, and I decided to go discover what else might be out there riding the newest tech wave.

After check-in, I walked through the door and into the exhibition hall, and I was completely overwhelmed. There were gadgets and gizmos aplenty!

There were lines for the virtual reality games and eye masks that massage your temples and play sweet, melodic music to calm the soul, and so much more!

What surprised me the most was the abundance of learning technology for children. From kid-friendly tablets to robot language-learning devices, I was blown away by the options and ease of use of these "toys."

One robot that stood out to me could carry on a conversation with a child and teach them English words. The robot could even tell if the child was pronouncing it correctly or saying the right word.

It was such an interesting concept to me, and the kids testing out the robots seemed to really be enjoying themselves.

Another bot that caught my eye was one that is destined to be seen at your local pharmacy any day now. The man attending the booth told me to press a button and then go through a series of questions where the "nurse bot" asked you what type of symptoms you were experiencing.

The questions started with general symptoms and moved on to more specific ones, and at the end, the nurse bot displayed a screen of suggested medicines for whatever ailment you described.

A few booths over, I sat down and had my eyes scanned, and within minutes, I had a report sent straight to my phone with a diagnosis of my eye health and potential risks for eye disease. I was completely amazed!

After my eye exam, I headed over to a mock-up of an unmanned 24-hour convenience store. After linking your account to Alipay, you can go into the store and buy products simply by scanning your hand.

The door unlocks and you take your item. The machine knows how to inventory and take the weight of the item and just adds it to the total you pay at the end. Don't worry if you change your mind; if you replace the item in the cooler, the system can tell and will deduct it from your bill.

While everyone loves new TVs, drones and the latest gaming technology, there is a lot to be said about new technology that can make our lives easier and more convenient as well.

As technology and our demand for convenience continue to grow, we will be seeing more and more new technology coming off the showroom floors and into our everyday lives.

Although, it would still be fun to have a dancing robot or digi pup solely for entertainment purposes!

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.