World Robot Conference opens in Beijing showcasing latest industry innovations

The 2024 World Robot Conference(WRC) opened in Beijing on Wednesday, bringing together hundreds of industry professionals and highlighting a number of cutting-edge developments in the fast-evolving robotics industry.

With over 400 professionals from home and abroad joining, the latest edition of the event is showcasing over 600 advanced robotic products.

Many attendees pointed to how the latest technological innovations, from artificial intelligence to more effective battery systems, are all helping create more advanced robotics with a wider range of functionality.

"Now it seems that because we have this opportunity to use AI also in the design process, because we have much better energy sources like lithium ion batteries, etc. We also have a lot of developments in consumer electronics and camera [systems], etc. We can now put these all together and design maybe the most complex machine we've ever built, i.e. somehow a little bit like a copy of the human body plus the human brain," said Alois C. Knoll, a professor at the Technical University of Munich.

Others also believe there can be considerable practicable benefits brought in terms of how robotics can assist in the medical field.

"My interests are in vascular robots that can treat stroke, which is the second leading cause of death in the world. And it's a disease that needs to be treated very, very rapidly. So we think robotics can have a big impact in increasing the speed with which a patient can be treated when they suffer from a stroke," said Bradley Nelson, professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at ETH Zurich, a Swiss public research university.

Participants say they are impressed by the developments being made in China's robotics sector, with Chinese officials noting that the country is already the leading global center for innovations in this field.

"As of July 2024, China holds more than 190,000 effective robot-related patents, accounting for about two-thirds of the world's total," said Xin Guobing, China's vice minister of industry and information technology, adding that China has been the world's largest industrial robot market for 11 consecutive years.

While affirming China's advantage in the robotics industry, Xin also pointed out that there is room for advancement in design capacity, industrial foundation and industrial chain innovation, and recognizes these are the key areas where China needs to strengthen international cooperation.

The conference not only focuses on promoting the development of the robotics industry in Beijing and its surrounding areas, but also aims at creating more application scenarios, comprehensive layout and integrated global cooperation across the robotics industry.

According to the organizer, 169 global companies, including ABB, Tesla, Kuka and SMC, will showcase their 600-plus exhibits throughout the five-day event.

World Robot Conference opens in Beijing showcasing latest industry innovations

World Robot Conference opens in Beijing showcasing latest industry innovations

World Robot Conference opens in Beijing showcasing latest industry innovations

Police department in Mianyang City of southwest China's Sichuan Province has deployed robots to assist human officers with patrols, traffic management and law enforcement tasks.

The robot officers have been deployed on Mianyang's streets help manage traffic during rush hours, from 08:00 in the morning to 17:00 in the afternoon.

These humanoid robots, designed to interact with their surroundings with multi-model AI capabilities, work efficiently alongside human officers in maintaining smooth traffic flow.

"It's my first time to see a robot directing traffic, which is an impressive way to remind people of following traffic rules," said Xie Yun, a local resident.

The city's police department has also added robot dogs to their public safety toolkit. Police-released footage shows a robotic dog assisting SWAT teams in a training exercise, subduing a suspect by firing a non-lethal restraint net during a simulated school attack.

The robot dog's exceptional performance in the training was aided by four surround-view lenses it carried and a 360-degree panoramic camera on top of its head that is capable of capturing real-time surroundings scenes and transmitting the signals to the police monitoring system.

With the network, the robot dogs can conduct regular inspection and patrol on their own.

"Because the robot dogs are capable of assisting human police officers, conducting unobtrusive identity checks and autonomous patrol, and performing non-lethal restraint, we deploy them in business districts, by artificial lakes and in sci-tech parks to carry out policing duties such as routine patrol," said Wang Jianhai, director of the Intelligence Command Center of the Science and Technology City New District Branch of the Mianyang Public Security Bureau.

Sichuan police deploy robot officers to assist in law enforcement