China turns to robots as workers age

This picture taken on November 25, 2016 shows people watching a robotic unit of the smart parking system developed by Hikvision in a garage in Wuzhen Township of Tongxiang City, in east China's Zhejiang province. Flat, orange robots glide under stationary cars and ferry them to empty Chinese parking bays, using space more efficiently and, their creators say, reducing driver stress. / AFP PHOTO / Johannes EISELE / To go with AFP Story: 'China manufacturing technology demographics' by Matthew Knight

WUZHEN, China: Flat, orange robots glide under stationary cars and ferry them to empty Chinese parking bays, using space more efficiently and, their creators say, reducing driver stress. 

It is one of a number of elegant – and expensive – mechanical solutions China is turning to as it faces an ageing population, which, even in the world’s most populous country, is making workers harder to come by.