Zhang Yang

    nicolezyyy@163.com

    PASSENGERS won’t need to heave heavy luggage onto airplane racks in the future if airlines start using a robot on display at the China Hi-Tech Fair.

    A wheeled robot developed by Shenzhen Anzer Intelligent Engineering Co. Ltd. has a 2.5-meter robotic arm that can carry luggage, smash a window or use a key to unlock a door.

    The robot was shown to visitors during the Robot Expo at the high-tech fair yesterday. Having opened Sunday, the expo will be held for 15 days at the Shenzhen Civic Center.

    “In a 1.2-meter radius, the robot can carry a weight of up to 8.8 kilograms,” said Rachel Cheng, an Anzer employee. Cheng said the robot could be used in airports or train stations to deliver baggage or be used to move dangerous or fragile objects.

    Anzer also developed a robot called VCTR. With a real-time monitoring system and removable robotic arms, the robot can work as a housekeeper or a secretary to organize documents.

    “It’s a service robot designed for ordinary users with practical needs. For example, the user can remotely control it to patrol the home and look after children and the elderly,” Cheng said.

    The company displayed cutting-edge medical robots that could help doctors perform surgery and a robot to inspect nuclear reactors.

    A forum about global robotics technology and its application was held yesterday at the Civic Center and attended by over 400 guests from companies like Tencent and Huawei along with leading research institutes.

    Prominent academics and robotics engineers were invited to talk about topics ranging from the commercial prospects of robots to the development of China’s robotic technology industry.

    One of the lecturers was Andrew A. Goldenberg, an emeritus professor at the University of Toronto and the inventor of the world’s first robotic-arm system for spacecraft. He is now the chief technology officer of Anzer. Goldenberg said he joined the Shenzhen-based company in hopes of bringing robots to China’s market.

    It’s the first time a separate robot expo has been held during the China Hi-Tech Fair.

    “This year’s high-tech fair shows intelligent manufacturing is integrating with the traditional manufacturing industry, which will open a new era for China’s high-end manufacturing industry,” said Yang Haicheng, chief engineer of China Aerospace Science and Technology Co.