Beijing eyes becoming global robotics innovation hub

Beijing will continue to focus on the robotics industry, with the aim to transform the capital as a global emerging robotics innovation center by 2025, a top official in Beijing said on Tuesday.

"It is important to enhance the key technologies in robotics sector to promote the overall artificial intelligence industry development," said Chen Jining, mayor of the city, at the opening ceremony of the World Robot Conference held in Yizhuang economic development zone in Beijing's Daxing district from Aug 20 to Aug 25.

The capital is also boosting its robotics industry's development in several fields to further bring new opportunities to this sector.

Wang Lanfen, director of Huake Jingzhun, a company which focuses on neurosurgical robot development, said starting from a team of Tsinghua University graduates, the company developed its business in artificial intelligence to expand the Chinese-made robot business to the world.

Zhao Xingmei, project manager of the Beijing Medical Robotics Industry Innovation Center, said established last year, the center played an important role as a bridge to convert the ideas from universities and entrepreneurs to practice.

"It acts as a platform for researchers to give them more opportunities in developing their scientific research achievements," she said.

Hao Xudong, executive director of the Geek+ company, said since it became more and more difficult for the logistics industry to hire workers, setting up intelligent robots is especially important in the industry.

"The efficiency of parcel improves about three to four times when the logistics robots are put into use," he said. "Many countries, like Japan, have also introduced our products on their assembly lines."

In 2016, the revenue of Beijing's software and information service industry reached 728.76 billion yuan ($103.11 billion). There are more than 240 companies in the capital's artificial intelligence field.

Since 2017, the capital had started setting up a demonstration area to build an industrial innovation base in the Yizhuang economic development zone, as a move to better promote the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.