Polar robots, quantum computing and other advanced technologies dominate interest at Shanghai exhibition
Print Edition
ROBOTS capable of walking on polar ice and cleaning pipelines, brain-computer interfaces allowing disabled people to stand up and an artificial intelligence quantum computer with China-developed photonic chips. It’s all on display at the recent Shanghai technology fair.
The event is a convergence of Chinese innovation and the country’s ambitions to foster technological self-reliance.
The three-day China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair, which ended last Friday, attracted attendance of 20,000, drew 1,000 domestic and overseas companies, and provided a venue for those in technology industries to talk shop.
Brain-computer interface therapy
Brain-computer interface technology, long the stuff of science fiction, is beginning to appear in the real world, with some applications like Elon Musk’s Neuralink. Chinese companies are also at the forefront of practical solutions, with applications already transforming care in some hospitals and private clinics.
Shanghai-based Arfysica Innovation had an exhibition at the fair, demonstrating how technology can assist individuals with mental disabilities to operate computers, powered by a machine capable of “understanding” brainwaves.
A staff member showed how it works. He wore an electroencephalogram cap and a hand exoskeleton, and controlled the device using the AiThink signal processing. This system helps re-establish damaged neural pathways in patients who have lost mobility and hand functionality, allowing them to do tasks such as walking, typing and using chopsticks.
Shi Hongchao, Arfysica’s senior product manager, said the company, founded in 2016, has compiled a database of more than 10,000 patient cases, with devices already in use at local venues, including Ruijing Hospital.
Another company, Peinao Technology, showcased its brain interface system, which uses electrical brain stimulation to regulate neural activity, offering treatment for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, insomnia and depression.
Both Arfysica and Peinao systems use what is called “non-invasive” brain-computer interfacing, meaning they can be deployed without surgical implants.
China has designated the brain-computer interface industry, both invasive and non-invasive, as a national priority. Shanghai is taking a lead with funding for research, clinical experiments and industrial applications.
Robots a guaranteed attraction
Robots always command a central spot at all tech fairs, and this exhibition was no exception.
The fair displayed specialization in robotics, especially for use in complicated or even dangerous jobs for humans.
A robot dog that returned from Antarctica a month ago was a highlight at a booth manned by the Polar Research Institute of China.
The six-legged robot, developed by Lenovo, successfully completed a scientific research mission on the frozen continent, assisting scientists in carrying equipment and conducting ice-crack detection.
In the future, this robot, potentially alongside drones, could undertake autonomous inspections in other sites of harsh conditions, according to Lenovo Research Institute Shanghai.
Oilmanrobot, a startup specializing in pipeline applications, exhibited a magnetic-adhesion pipeline robot, which is currently cleaning oil from pipes in Hilton and Atour hotels.
Touted as the world’s first 3D spatial pipeline robot, its navigation system allows the robot, resembling a toy tank, to operate autonomously in 90-degree vertical pipes and on curved surfaces. Its potential includes working in mine pipeline inspections and unclogging heating pipes.
Shanghai, which accounts for a third of China’s robotics industry output, is actively pursuing its ambition to become a global robotics hub through supportive government policies.
Exhibitors at the fair also displayed innovations that include a wireless charging “blanket” for robots and the China-developed InsightOS system designed to enable different brands and types of robots to collaborate on a production line.
Quantum computing
Quantum computing, hailed as the “crown” of modern technology, holds the promise of processing vast amounts of information concurrently to tackle problems that are now too complex for even the most powerful supercomputers, requiring less data and energy consumption.
Quantum computing has implications across a broad spectrum, including drug research and financial modeling.
TuringQ, China’s first photonic quantum chip and photonic quantum computing company, showcased an AI quantum computer center at the fair. According to Alex Cai, its chief marketing officer, the center is already doing some initial work in financial data analysis and pharmaceuticals.
In their initial stages, these computers remain very large, occupying entire rooms. The public display of this normal-size AI quantum center at the fair marked a leap in quantum computing, from experimental lab stages to industrialization. TuringQ, which is now valued about 3 billion yuan (US$417 million) with four rounds of fundraising, represents China’s biggest entry to date in the global race to develop quantum computing.
Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang recently said that quantum computing is reaching “an inflection point.” Similarly, IBM announced last week its ambitious goal to build the world’s first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028.
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