Liu Minxia, Zhang Hao

    mllmx@msn.com

    ROBOTS are no longer only science fiction fantasy objects, and here in Shenzhen, residents have the chance to watch locally made humanoid robots walk, dance, play soccer and respond to human requests at a fair that opened Thursday in Futian.

    Eighteen Shenzhen companies are showcasing their 50-odd robotics projects through Saturday in Hall 2 of Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center during the 2014 China Electronic Equipment Industry Exposition, according to the Shenzhen Robotics Association, one of the organizers.

    A 1.5-meter-tall “stand-in” robot, manufactured by China Security and Surveillance Technology Inc. (CSST), waved and shook hands with visitors, mimicking the exact motions of the engineer controlling it remotely, whose facial expressions were displayed in real-time on a rectangular screen acting as its face.

    “It can bring a virtual human to places he or she can’t go in person, such as inspections, visits and meetings,” Zhang Puyang, the project manager for CSST, told Shenzhen Daily.

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    Meanwhile, four 41.8-cm-tall humanoid robots, called Alphas, created by Union Brothers (China) Ltd., played a football game and danced Gangnam Style while

    Union Brothers started research and development on robots for recreation in 2008 and saw sales explode after they received a large investment last year, according to Xiao Manyi, the firm’s presidential assistant. Xiao declined to specify the amount, saying the firm is attracting wide attention from venture capitalists, including BYD’s founder Xia Zuoquan.

    DJI Innovations, a leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems in Nanshan District, staged an unmanned airplane stunt show at the fair while industrial robots, made by firms such as Shenzhen Jasic Robot Automation Equipment Co. and Hans Laser, let their robots perform intricate tasks.

    The output of the 92 Shenzhen Robotics Association members, according to Qiu He, deputy secretary general of the association, is expected to exceed 2.5 billion yuan (US$407 million) this year, and the majority of them are manufacturers of industrial robots.

    “There are barriers to widely using industrial robots, though the market has been heating up in the last two years,” Huang Kaisheng, a spokesperson for the Shenzhen Robotics Association, told reporters. “Robots usually cannot be used from client to client; each one must be made uniquely to fit the client’s needs. And not all manufacturers who would like to upgrade their production lines can afford robots.”

    To promote the use of robots in the manufacturing sector, the association is lobbying the city government for financial support for manufacturers who lease robotic equipment, Qiu said.