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September 18, 2018

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HomeDistrictMinhang

They鈥檝e got talent and projects to prove it

Half of the 14 startups that entered the Minhang final for this year鈥檚 Shanghai Young Talent Innovation Contest are based in the district, a sign that efforts to nurture entrepreneurial talent and innovation are paying off.

Shanghai DoAero, Asage Robots and Daisy won the top three awards.

Twenty-three enterprises attended the competition this year, displaying their projects. Many of the contestants have attended start-up entrepreneurship training courses organized by the district.

鈥淲e want to build a platform and share our resources to help this kind of talent,鈥 said Wen Wei, chief of organization and liaison at the Minhang Communist Youth League Committee, which hosted the event. 鈥淥f course, it鈥檚 also a chance to show young entrepreneurs what the district can offer them.鈥

The competition and training course have been held for the past three years. She said the event is always adapting to changing trends in the commercial world.

鈥淭he whole market is shifting,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e see trends from contestants taking part in the event and then rejig the next contest to reflect them.鈥

Wen added, 鈥淭he first year, our contestants and course students came from various industries, from baby products to coffee shops. Last year, we had more enterprises in biotechnology. This year is seeing an increase in smart manufacturing.鈥

The district has also founded the Young Entrepreneurs Association to build platforms for people with innovative ideas.

We talked to some contestants from Minhang.

Zhou Luxian, CEO of Shanghai Aiji Biotechnology Co

Whether you are from Nepal or New York, all human beings share 99.9 percent identical DNA. It鈥檚 that 0.01 percent difference that makes the world so varied.

鈥淓ach individual has a different skin type,鈥 said Zhou. 鈥淎nd the secret of our skin lies in that 0.01 percent.鈥

Zhou鈥檚 company provides genetic testing service for customers and customized skincare products for their particular skin type, according to the DNA results.

鈥淚n order to find the product that suits your skin best, you would normally need to spend years and a lot of money trying various products,鈥 he said. 鈥淓ven then, the result might not be satisfactory, and you actually might damage your skin with the wrong products.鈥

The first step in skin care is to know yourself. Every person is different. The company works with Spas & Salons to promote the genetic testing service.

鈥淥ur genetic testing is different from other testing systems on the market,鈥 Zhou said. 鈥淲e focus on genes related to the skin, rather than genes associated with general physical health.鈥

As an eco-friendly company, it tests products using 3D skin models instead of animals.

Wen Zhongmeng, CEO of Asage Robots

Many youngsters have built a house or car by snapping Lego bricks together. But can the same process be applied to actual buildings? Modular robots share a similar concept, built up from tens or hundreds of modules.

鈥淗ow revolutionary is this technology?鈥 Wen asked rhetorically. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like the third Industrial Revolution.鈥

鈥淭he robots used in current manufacturing are heavy and clumsy,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd there are few types or shapes of robots for buyers to choose from. Robots used, say, in medical procedures are different from those used in goods delivery.鈥

He added, 鈥淢odular robots can meet the various demands of different industries at a comparatively low price in a short production cycle.鈥

The module robot sets from Adage Robots can be used individually or in tandem with robots made by other companies.

Wen鈥檚 long-term goal is to introduce modular robots to all industries. He said he believes that can be achieved in a decade.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like replacing old Nokia phones with smartphones,鈥 he said. 鈥淭echnology can liberate people. Improvement in productivity is a trend that can鈥檛 be stopped.鈥

Adage Robots is working on rehabilitation robotics for use in exercising limbs, in tandem with Tsinghua University and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University who learned of Wen鈥檚 project from the contest are also seeking cooperation in research.

鈥淥ur project received widespread recognition from the competition,鈥 said Wen. 鈥淎dage Robots can play a leading role in the domestic industry.鈥

Wen won the second place in the contest. In short term, his goal is to get the startup to the break-even point.

Cao Jun, chief executive officer of Pan-Support Building Technology

Cao is involved in building an artificial intelligence system that maximizes energy efficiency. He won fourth prize.

鈥淭here are many listed companies in the competition,鈥 he said. 鈥淏y comparison, we are just a small startup. But I learned a lot from the people I met, and I received support for my project.鈥

If a building is viewed as a body, the smart system developed by Cao鈥檚 team is its brain. By using data-driven techniques, the system can 鈥渓earn鈥 the routine of the building, thus achieving energy-saving results.

鈥淔or example, the usual way we use central air conditioning is to turn it on at 8am and turn it off at 5pm,鈥 said Cao. 鈥淎 smart building energy control system can record and predict how many people will be working in that room, do some calculations and set the temperature accordingly.鈥

The technology can be applied to hospitals, banks, hotels and office buildings. Cao compared the application of this technology with replacing a standard light bulb with an LED light.

鈥淓nergy use in commercial buildings is even bigger than transportation consumption,鈥 said Cao. 鈥淏uildings in Beijing consume on average 100KWH per square meter per year. Our control system can cut the number to 10 -30 KWH.鈥

Promoting new energy is a global trend, Cao said, that aims to reduce energy waste and create sustainable development.

Cao鈥檚 company is working on a project for the Xinzhuang Industrial Park and is building a partnership with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to further promote the technology.


 

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