China’s booming robot industry displays a wider range of innovations and applications

At the 2021 World Robot Conference, held in Beijing from Sept. 10 to 13, more than 110 enterprises and scientific research institutions displayed over 500 products, showcasing an array of new applications and innovations of robots.

A reporter interacts with an intelligent robot actor at the World Robot Conference held in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 12, 2021. The 2021 World Robot Conference is held in Beijing from Sept. 10 to 13. More than 110 enterprises and scientific research institutions brought over 500 products to the exhibition. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Traditionally, industrial robots are used for the manufacturing of automobiles, metal products, and electronic products. In recent years, however, they have begun to display a wider range of applications in a variety of fields ranging from furniture and home appliances, ironware and bathroom accessories, and food and beverage.

Robots that can assist human beings in completing a task are a major trend nowadays. Compared with traditional robots, these robots, which are smaller and more flexible, have demonstrated their excellent performance in precision assembling and product packaging. At the 2021 World Robot Conference, the exhibition area for medical robots was two times larger than that of the previous event.

In the exhibition area for service robots, a smart dustbin captured widespread attention. The dustbin opened up automatically after it heard a voice indicating there was garbage to be collected. Supported by artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, the dustbin has the ability to sort through and manage garbage independently on its own.

Special robots, which can offer a hand in special circumstances, were also exhibited at the conference. A monitoring robot that can keep an eye on the water-cooled walls inside boiler units aroused the curiosity of many visitors. It can operate along the water-cooled walls inside a boiler unit, and is powered with image recognition technology, having the ability to measure the thickness of the wall, detect damage on the wall and submit its results to human workers. The whole process is safe and efficient, according to Xu Guangping, general manager of Beijing Tri-Tech Co., Ltd., the developer of the robot.

Last year, the size of China’s robot sector continued expanding to surpass 100 billion yuan, with the country becoming a vital force to support the development of the global robot industry, said Xin Guobin, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at the opening of the conference.

A fire-fighting robot developed by a high-tech company based in Beijing was displayed at the conference. According to an engineer with the company, the robot can battle temperatures of 1,000 degrees Celsius for a period of 30 minutes without taking a break, greatly improving the efficiency of rescue efforts during fires.

An industry insider told People’s Daily that China’s robot industry is among the top players in the world with regards to certain innovations and applications. Moreover, statistics indicate that China has remained the world’s largest market for industrial robots for eight consecutive years.