Robot dishes out ice cream at Chinese mall

SHENYANG, China, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- An ice cream stand at a northeastern China mall is drawing international attention with footage of its sole employee -- a smiling robot.

The "Robot Ice Cream House" at a mall in Shenyang features a robot with painted-on features including eyes, a smile and brown hair creating six different flavors of ice cream treats inside a glass case. The robot adds toppings including nuts and candies according to orders placed by customers using a control panel.

The machine cost nearly $250,000 to construct.