'Core tech needed' for robotics

Long-term input in domestic production of components and AI necessary, experts say

Long-term commitments to core technologies and closer ties with artificial intelligence firms are needed to make robots more intelligent and flexible, as China ramps up resources to upgrade its labor-intensive manufacturing with technological innovation, experts said on Friday.

Zhao Jie, a mechanic professor at Harbin Institute of Technology, a top engineering university in China, said China's robot industry is growing rapidly, but it is still bottlenecked by domestic robot maker's lack of competence to mass-produce reliable key robot parts.such as speed reducers.