China - August 22, 2024

World Robot Conference 2024 kicks off in Beijing

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An event calling tech enthusiasts and future thinkers... The 9th edition of the World Robot Conference is being held in Beijing this week, with over 400 professionals from home and abroad discussing the latest trends in the robotics industry.

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Alois C. Knoll, Professor, Technical University of Munich, Germany:

"Now it seems that because we have this opportunity to use AI in the design process, we have much better energy sources like lithium ion batteries. We also have a lot of developments in consumer electronics camera system. We can now put these all together and design, maybe the most complex machine, i.e. somehow a little bit like a copy of the human body plus the human brain."

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Bradley Nelson, Professor, Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich:

"My interests are in vascular robots that can treat stroke, which is the second leading cause of death in the world. It's a critical disease and it's a disease that needs to be treated very, very rapidly. We think robotics can have a big impact in increasing the speed in which patients can be treated when they suffer from a stroke."

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The participants say that they are impressed by the developments in China's robotics.

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Xin Guobin, Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology:

"As of July 2024, China holds more than 190,000 effective robot-related patents, accounting for about two-thirds of the world's total. China has been the world's largest industrial robot market for 11 consecutive years."

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

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