Robots are becoming a part of Chinese people’s lives

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Technology is becoming an essential element of everyday life; its benefits often remain unnoticed; “hidden” in the objects around us. From smart streetlights, cars and watches to intelligent hoovers, fridges and cooking robots, we get easily accustomed to the comforts those appliances offer while remining oblivious to their technological complexity. If this is also your case, don’t feel bad, in fact, it simply means that scientists are doing their job well. After all, technology is there to make everyone’s life better, safer and more time efficient.

However, as the robotics industry is growing, the benefits of technology become more evident, even to ordinary citizens. From medicine, education and elderly care to farming and emergency rescue, robots take on numerous forms but one thing they have in common is that they collaborate with humans in countless tasks. According to People's Daily thanks to the rising manufacturing capability and disruptive technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Virtual Reality, Cloud Computing and 5G, robots are no longer exclusive to industrial production, and they can help us in many ways.

A service robot is employed in the outpatient hall of the Fuyang Fifth People's Hospital in east China's Anhui province, Aug. 17, 2022. (Photo by Wang Biao/People's Daily Online)

Robots can help increase the quality time parents spend with their children by taking care of chores such as vacuuming, mopping the floor or doing the dishes. This year, Midea Group, a Chinese manufacturer of electrical appliances released an AI robot that can fulfill several roles within a home, such as an assistant, butler, guard and tech playmate.

In education, robots create exciting, new ways of learning through gamification, human-machine collaboration, and contextual learning, helping children memorize and better understand the educational content. They can assist teachers or teach children skills that the teachers do not have, such as musical training or a new language. This is especially useful in rural schools which lack staff. This June, a school in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, began using a board game robot. Apart from teaching students to play various board games, it can also introduce the culture and rules of the games.

In addition, robots can act as great companions and provide emotional and physical care to the people that need it. This may include people struggling with mental health, people with disabilities and the elderly. As the Chinese population continues to age, Chinese manufacturers have developed wearable exoskeletons that improve senior people's mobility and prevent risks associated with falls.

Recently, dog robots have been released on the Chinese market. They are designed to keep people company and encourage walking and running as these robotic dogs require daily exercise. This is a great solution for people who lead busy lives or cannot afford the costs associated with caring for a real dog, such as food and veterinary care.

Many Chinese companies have launched robotic dogs. For instance, one developed by a tech firm based in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, is able to carry a load of 3 kilograms and serve as a running companion for its owner. Last year, electronics manufacturer Xiaomi also unveiled a bipedal humanoid robot that has sight thanks to face and body recognition technologies and is able to sense its surroundings. The robot can follow its owner and avoid obstacles automatically.

According to the most recent report of the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the average growth per annum of the Chinese robotics industry has reached 22 percent over the past five years.

An intelligent robot vehicle patrols in Taikoo Li Sanlitun, a shopping center in Beijing, Aug. 27, 2022. People can press the button on the vehicle for help, and the vehicle is able to avoid obstacles automatically. (Photo by Luo Wei/People's Daily Online)

At the end of 2021, several governmental entities, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, have developed together the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) as a guideline for the Chinese robotics industry.

The plan is set out to make China a global hub for robotics innovation by 2025, by 2035 China is expected to be a global leader in the robotics industry.   

Source: People's Daily