Mornine stood in the venue corridor during a major international sporting event, fielding questions in Arabic, English, and Mandarin within the same five-minute stretch. The humanoid robot—developed by automotive brand OMODA & JAECOO—wasn’t there to sell vehicles. She was there to greet guests, navigate crowds to their seats, and demonstrate what happens when a car manufacturer decides hospitality is the next frontier.
The deployment took place in June 2026, though OMODA declined to specify which sporting event hosted the robots. Alongside Mornine came Argos, a four-legged quadruped unit that navigated crowded spaces and avoided obstacles with the kind of autonomy that turned heads among event organisers.
For OMODA & JAECOO, the exhibition marked a deliberate pivot. The brand—a subsidiary of Chinese automotive giant Chery International—has sold over 5,000 vehicles across the UAE since entering the market. Yet the robots represent something entirely different: a bet that AI-powered assistants will reshape how Dubai’s hotels, airports, and exhibition centres operate.
Mornine’s 11-language capability isn’t incidental. The UAE’s workforce and tourist population span dozens of nationalities, making multilingual service a operational necessity rather than a luxury feature. Advanced speech recognition allows the humanoid to switch languages mid-conversation, whilst multimodal interaction systems—combining voice, gesture, and facial recognition—enable her to respond to questions visitors haven’t quite finished asking.
The quadruped Argos, meanwhile, demonstrated mobile assistance capabilities that event staff noted for their practical applications. Autonomous navigation through dense crowds, real-time obstacle avoidance, and the ability to carry materials across venues suggest use cases beyond novelty—particularly in Dubai’s sprawling exhibition halls and outdoor festival spaces.
“Artificial intelligence, robotics, and intelligent mobility technologies represent the future of connected living,” said Shawn Xu, CEO of OMODA & JAECOO Automobile International. “Through AiMOGA and VPD intelligent parking, we are expanding the boundaries of how people interact with technology, from hospitality and retail to future mobility. The UAE’s strong focus on smart cities, innovation, and advanced technologies makes it an important market for these intelligent ecosystems.”
That ecosystem extends beyond humanoids. OMODA is preparing to introduce VPD—Valet Parking Driver, also marketed as Super Intelligent Parking—to select UAE models in coming months. The technology allows vehicles to search independently for parking spaces, manoeuvre into position, and return to drivers through remote commands. It’s the kind of feature tailored to Dubai’s luxury lifestyle expectations and Abu Dhabi’s increasingly automated urban infrastructure.
The timing aligns with the UAE’s broader push toward smart city integration. Dubai’s government has committed billions to AI and robotics initiatives, whilst Abu Dhabi’s economic vision prioritises automation across tourism and hospitality sectors. Several five-star hotels already deploy service robots for room delivery and concierge functions, though none yet offer the linguistic range or interaction sophistication OMODA claims for Mornine.
Still, questions linger. The company hasn’t disclosed how many AiMOGA units currently operate in UAE venues, nor which hotels or exhibition centres have committed to deployments beyond the initial sporting event trial. Pricing remains unconfirmed, as does the timeline for wider VPD rollout across OMODA’s vehicle range.
What’s clear is the brand’s momentum. OMODA & JAECOO reached one million global sales within three years of launch—a milestone that reflects rapid international expansion. In the UAE, the company now maintains showrooms across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah, selling models including the OMODA C5, OMODA C7, JAECOO J7 SHS hybrid, and the flagship JAECOO J8 SHS.
Globally, OMODA has already integrated AiMOGA robots into select showrooms, where they handle product explanations and visitor queries. The shift from dealership floors to event venues represents a calculated expansion—one that positions the brand not merely as vehicle manufacturer but as provider of broader AI-driven experiences.
Whether that positioning resonates with UAE hospitality operators remains uncertain. The country’s hotels and event spaces face persistent labour challenges, particularly for multilingual front-of-house staff. Robots that genuinely deliver on language capability and autonomous operation could address genuine pain points. Those that don’t risk becoming expensive novelties.
By week’s end, Mornine and Argos had completed their sporting event deployment. The robots returned to OMODA’s facilities, whilst the company began conversations with potential hospitality partners. For Dubai’s tourism industry, the question isn’t whether AI assistants will arrive—it’s whether they’ll actually work when the venue fills and the questions come in languages the algorithms haven’t quite mastered yet.
