(yicai global) Oct. 24 -- A smart ramen vending machine restaurant has popped up in the Xuhui district of Shanghai, offering instant noodles in just 45 seconds.

The stand offers two flavors, sour beef soup and pork bone, which users can select on a touch screen. Buyers can pay through popular mobile payment apps Alipay, run by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA] and WeChat, operated by Tencent Holdings Ltd. [HKG:0700]. The whole process, from selection to receipt of the meal, takes no more than a minute, Kuai Keji reported on Oct. 23.

Consumers rated the noodles a 4/5, the report added.

A number of staffless restaurants, convenience stores and even hotels have found their way onto the streets of China's cities as the nation ups its game in the artificial intelligence sector.