University Holds Inauguration Ceremony for New Institute
An inauguration ceremony for the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (“University”) was held at 9:00 am on January 20 at the Software Town of Longgang District, Shenzhen. Participants included 14 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, including Professor Yangsheng Xu, Wengao and Tong Shuk Yin David. 100 guests, including government officials of municipal and district levels and industrial leaders, were also present at the event.
Mr. Yangsheng Xu, President of the University and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that the establishment of the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing (“Institute”) is a result of a yearlong negotiation with Longgang district government over three considerations. Firstly, Shenzhen is a world famous manufacturing base, and the development of robotics technology is sure to boost the automation and mechanization of the manufacturing industry. The Institute’s foundation is to declare the emergence of a new robotics industry. Secondly, robotics is a future industry and preparatory deployments have been made in many regions. Robots prevalent in thousands of households will enormously drive the development and upgrade of local enterprises. Lastly, robotics is a comprehensive industry in that it facilitates the development of peripheral industries, and serves as a hub for big data, wearables, and modern medical facilities if viewed from a pure academic perspective.
According to an estimate by the International Federation of Robotics, China will need 35,000 robots by 2015, taking up 17% of the global market, rendering it the largest market in the world. The Institute is the University’s first one, and it will focus on commercialization of its research results and introduction of global talent. It is intended to evolve into a high level, globally renowned and impactful research base and demonstrative base for robotics and intelligent manufacturing industries within three years.
At the inauguration ceremony, Vice President LI Xue Jin Tony signed letters of intent on behalf of the Institute with an auto intelligence and advanced electromagnetic technology team, a group working on machine vision, Shenzhen Yee Fung Robotics Co, Ltd, and Shenzhen Season Energy Co, Ltd.
Presently, the Institute mainly engages in research and commercialization in connection with intelligent robots (including gerontological service robots, family service robots, medical robots and industrial robots), intelligent hybrid power automobile systems, intelligent wearables, and video surveillance. It will introduce top experts on robotics and intelligent manufacturing, establish several national key laboratories, set up a global innovative entrepreneurship platform, and serve as a high tech enterprise incubator by cashing in on the University’s research capability and domestic and international research bodies. This will further incentivize industrial upgrades.
As President Yangsheng Xu points out, the Institute is like a tinder, but it will kindle a fire of passion for entrepreneurship in robotics and intelligent manufacturing at this city and throughout the country.
