THE world’s most high-tech toys and child products are on show at an exhibition in Shanghai, which opened yesterday and runs until tomorrow.

High-tech toys incorporating robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the Internet of Things have been increasingly popular with Chinese parents born after 1985 who want to develop their children’s scientific knowledge at an early stage.

They prefer products that can help enhance the recognition, focus, activity, creativity, expression and cooperation of children, said Liang Mei, secretary general with China Toy & Juvenile Products Association, the organizer of the exhibition.

More than 2,000 manufacturers from some 30 countries and regions are taking part in the annual China Kids Expo at the Shanghai New International Expo Center.

New technologies, especially the Internet of Things, robots and artificial reality, have become effective babysitting tools, according to the association.

At the exhibition, a robot toy allows children to compose their own boxer robot from over 600 parts. The boxer toy is said to enhance the creativity of children and involves basic code writing skills.

Another high-tech toy, the “fruit piano” can convert various fruits into piano keys with cutting-edge touch technology.

It has become a trend for Chinese toy manufacturers to integrate science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics into their products.

The sales of toys and child products on Tmall and Taobao.com, two popular online shopping platform, reached about 40 billion yuan (US$5.8 billion) between January and September this year, a 22 percent increase on year.