It's started: Robot Uprising Begins as China Turns to Machines to Fill in Gaps in the Workforce

[qwerrty]

-


Huawei Prepares for Robot Overlords and Communication with the Dead
May 11, 2016 — 4:11 PM AEST

Chinese technology giant Huawei is preparing for a world where people live forever, dead relatives linger on in computers and robots try to kill humans.

Huawei is best known as one of the world's largest producers of broadband network equipment and smartphones. But Kevin Ho, president of its handset product line, told the CES Asia conference in Shanghai on Wednesday the company used science fiction movies like "The Matrix" to envision future trends and new business ideas.

“Hunger, poverty, disease or even death may not be a problem by 2035, or 25 years from now,” he said. “In the future you may be able to purchase computing capacity to serve as a surrogate, to pass the baton from the physical world to the digital world.”

He described a future where children could use apps like WeChat to interact with dead grandparents, thanks to the ability to download human consciousness into computers. All of these technologies would require huge amounts of data storage, which in turn could generate business for Huawei, he added.

Ho also referred to a scene in "The Matrix" where a character downloads the ability to fly a helicopter.

“That kind of data download volume exceeds current levels,” he said. “In the future storage will need to exceed 15,000 Zettabytes so this is a huge increase.”

Post-Human Society
In Silicon Valley, high-tech companies like Google have discussed long-term planning for a post-human society, while Calico and venture capitalist Peter Thiel have both raised the prospect of immortality. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has long held the goal of transporting humanity to colonies on other planets.

But it is rare for established Chinese technology firms like Huawei to make business preparations based on the intangible possibilities facing the species. Ho said science fiction films helped spur his team to consider new product lines.

“A lot of science fiction has prompted me to have this type of thinking – in science fiction we’ve seen some terrible worlds where technology destroys human society,” he said. Ho described a film in which a character — apparently an AI persona — absorbs ideas from books then launches an attack on humanity. “There’s a very interesting film where Mr Wong has a task of downloading books, he also has a task of printing books and later he kills human beings. Therefore we need better safety technology.

“We need authentication, better tech protection and remote defense – we are developing all of these now.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-11/huawei-prepares-for-robot-overlords-and-communication-with-the-dead

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese Tech Giant Readies for Robot Overlords and Cloud Zombies

00:22 12.05.2016

Huawei representatives suggest uploading your grandparents to the cloud while plotting the defense of humanity against swarms of killer robots.

Representatives of leading Chinese tech company Huawei claim they are studying science fiction narratives to envision future trends in which evil robots kill humans, dead relatives linger on computers, and people live forever.

This is according to Kevin Ho, president of the company’s handset product line, speaking at the CES Asia conference in Shanghai on Wednesday.

"Hunger, poverty, disease or even death may not be a problem by 2035, or 25 years from now," he said, "In the future you may be able to purchase computing capacity to serve as a surrogate, to pass the baton from the physical world to the digital world."

In statements that range from wild-eyed to wall-eyed, Ho advocated for a world in which children could use phone apps to speak with dead grandparents whose personalities would be uploaded into the cloud. Huawei sees this form of futuristic, data intensive business as a key opportunity.

Ho mentioned a scene in "The Matrix" where a character downloaded a program directly into his brain to enable him to fly a helicopter. He suggested that mainlining knowledge straight to our brains is only hampered by data capacity. "That kind of data download volume exceeds current levels and, in the future, storage will need to exceed 15,000 Zettabytes, so this is a huge increase," he asserted.

"A lot of science fiction has prompted me to have this type of thinking – in science fiction we’ve seen some terrible worlds where technology destroys human society," said Ho before postulating on how we can advance technology more rapidly toward this dystopian demise of human civilization.

"There’s a very interesting film where Mr. Wong, an AI persona, has the task of downloading books, he also has a task of printing books and later, he kills human beings, so we need better safety technology," suggested Ho.

Nonetheless, the businessman joins a growing chorus of people around the world who perceive a growing danger as we move toward increasingly sophisticated and autonomous technology, and the need for safety measures that cannot be overridden by a sentient machine.


Read more: http://sputniknews.com/news/20160512/1039468887/china-tech-zombies-robots-huawei.html#ixzz48Qniltf4

 

[BoQ77]

may not be a problem by 2035, or 25 years from now," he said,

Sputnik old article ?

 

[TaiShang]

Sputnik old article ?

You are hurt?

 

[cirr]

China robot challenges human players in badminton

CNTV, May 21, 2016

Video: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2016-05/21/content_38504198.htm

The development of artificial intelligence in recent years has left many of us looking forward to a fully automated future. From robots that wait tables to those that play chess, their skillsets are never ending. In Southwest China, we met a machine that's got some pretty impressive sporting skills.

Meet Robomintoner. This is the world's first fully automated badminton robot. It can play as well as any amateur badminton enthusiast.

I'm about to take on a rising star in China's badminton scene. Among its racquet partners -- former world champion Dong Jiong, and Chinese premier Li Keqiang.

Meet Robomintoner. This is the world's first fully automated badminton robot. It can play as well as any amateur badminton enthusiast.

Its creators -- a group of college students and teachers in southwest China's Chengdu City. It won a special award at last year's Asia-Pacific Robot Contest.

"We were required to create a robot that could play a doubles badminton match. We were the only team who made this robot fully automated. We are in the business of making clever devices. We might as well make it fully intelligent," said Huang Xi, student from University of Electromic Science and Technology of China.

Here's how it works. Through an HD camera and a binocular vision system, the device "sees" the shuttlecock and predicts its movements.

The data is sent via bluetooth to a mobile platform, directing it swiftly to the target location. The racquet holder turns and voila. While all this may very well sound impressive, scientists say the holy grail is the robot's navigation system.

"The accuracy rate must be within millimetres. Currently there's no perfect system in the world for a robot to locate itself indoors. The technology used in the Robomintoner is actually very advanced. No matter how it moves on the court, as long as it's got battery, it will know its exact location. It won't lose its direction. It won't lose ITSELF," said Luo Deyuan, mechatronics professor from University of Electromic Science and Technology of China.

The machine is expected to hit the market next month.

Now, its creators are already taking it on tour, to schools and gyms, bridging complicated science with your everyday life.

 

[cirr]

'Robot goddesses' unveiled in China

Yahoo7 Finance – Thu, May 19, 2016 2:05 PM AEST

Video: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/-robot-goddesses--unveiled-in-china-040557296.html

Two new interactive robots, both named Jia Jia, were developed at the University of Science and Technology of China.

The robots are said to be capable of human-like facial expressions, along with talking and interacting with people nearby.

Its creators describe it as looking similar to a "real woman."

Among the details the researchers have incorporated into Jia Jia are the way its eyes will glance around a room in a natural way, as well as mouth movements that align with its speaking.

Not only can it respond to humans, but it can recognize when someone is taking a picture and make appropriate comments, such as warning not to stand too close for fear of making her face "look fat."

The researchers hope to keep developing the robot, with goals of giving it deep learning capabilities and the ability to recognize facial expressions on humans.

At this point Jia Jia is just a robotics research project, as there's no plans for mass production.

Source: CNBC

 

[JSCh]

From badminton robot to driverless car, accuracy in key
CCTV News
Published on May 21, 2016

While a tireless, vigorous and cold-hearted programmed robotic badminton partner for training sounds like a huge boon to China’s national team to reclaim glory in Rio Olympics, it’s a technology that thrives on accuracy.

Through an HD camera and a binocular vision system, the badminton robot can “see” the shuttlecock and predict its movements. Data, sent via Bluetooth to and processed in a mobile platform, directs it swiftly to the target location.

 

[touela]

China robot challenges human players in badminton

CNTV, May 21, 2016

Video: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2016-05/21/content_38504198.htm

The development of artificial intelligence in recent years has left many of us looking forward to a fully automated future. From robots that wait tables to those that play chess, their skillsets are never ending. In Southwest China, we met a machine that's got some pretty impressive sporting skills.

Meet Robomintoner. This is the world's first fully automated badminton robot. It can play as well as any amateur badminton enthusiast.

I'm about to take on a rising star in China's badminton scene. Among its racquet partners -- former world champion Dong Jiong, and Chinese premier Li Keqiang.

Meet Robomintoner. This is the world's first fully automated badminton robot. It can play as well as any amateur badminton enthusiast.

Its creators -- a group of college students and teachers in southwest China's Chengdu City. It won a special award at last year's Asia-Pacific Robot Contest.

"We were required to create a robot that could play a doubles badminton match. We were the only team who made this robot fully automated. We are in the business of making clever devices. We might as well make it fully intelligent," said Huang Xi, student from University of Electromic Science and Technology of China.

Here's how it works. Through an HD camera and a binocular vision system, the device "sees" the shuttlecock and predicts its movements.

The data is sent via bluetooth to a mobile platform, directing it swiftly to the target location. The racquet holder turns and voila. While all this may very well sound impressive, scientists say the holy grail is the robot's navigation system.

"The accuracy rate must be within millimetres. Currently there's no perfect system in the world for a robot to locate itself indoors. The technology used in the Robomintoner is actually very advanced. No matter how it moves on the court, as long as it's got battery, it will know its exact location. It won't lose its direction. It won't lose ITSELF," said Luo Deyuan, mechatronics professor from University of Electromic Science and Technology of China.

The machine is expected to hit the market next month.

Now, its creators are already taking it on tour, to schools and gyms, bridging complicated science with your everyday life.

I am a huge badminton fan... played 4 years. Had to stop, cuz I got to much addicted !!!!

 

[untitled]

Not fair for the human player until the robot can do all that with only one racket

 

[cirr]

Temple's chatty robot monk dispenses Buddhist wisdom in China

By Shen Lu and Justin Robertson, CNN

Updated 0354 GMT (1154 HKT) May 31, 2016

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/30/travel/china-buddhism-robot-monk/
Temple's chatty robot monk dispenses Buddhist wisdom00:51

Beijing (CNN)This funny-looking, chubby robot might well be the most popular Buddhist monk in China.

Standing two-feet (60 centimeters) tall, Xian'er is based on a cartoon character created by a Buddhist master at Beijing's Longquan Temple.

He's already attracted a steady stream of admirers to the 1,700-year-old place of worship after first shooting to fame on Chinese social media.

Master Xianfan carries Xian'er the robot monk at the 1,700-year-old entrance gate of the Longquan Temple in Beijing.

Master Xianfan says the robot is intelligent enough to chant Buddhist mantras and even interact with people.

He can answer up to 100 questions and a CNN team put him through his paces on a recent visit to the temple.

At first, he didn't seem very co-operative. His head kept spinning around and, like a child, he kept saying: "Leave me alone; stop bothering me."

But when he was in the mood, his Buddhist wisdom shined through:

"Where are you from?" we asked.

"How would I answer a question that you human beings have no answer to?" he quipped.

"Xian'er, who are your parents?" we countered.

"Do the designers count?" was his pithy reply.

Temple mascot?

Longquan Temple introduced the robot in 2015 in hopes of using cutting edge technology tospread Buddhism. Companies volunteered their expertise for the unusual project.

"Developing Xian'er wasn't for promotional or commercial purposes," said Xianfan, the head of the temple's animation studio.

"We only wanted to explore how to better fuse Buddhism with science, to convey the message that Buddhism and science aren't contradictory."

And the tactic works well with China's younger, digitally savvy generation.

"It's super cute...I feel it is like a temple mascot, making Buddhism much more accessible," said Liu Jiyue, a college student who went to the temple to meet the robot.

The light clay version of Xian'er.

Liu isn't a Buddhist, but that doesn't stop her from posing gleefully for pictures and cooing over the robot's "cuteness."

Xianxun, another master at the temple, says Xian'er isn't a mascot but it's natural that people are attracted to novelty.

"It takes time for people to get connected to Buddhism from a white sheet of paper," he said.

"They need to get interested in the first place."

Some have come from as far away as Shanghai to catch a glimpse of the robot.

Xianfan, a graduate of the Chinese Central Art Academy, first conceived Xian'er (Xian stands for virtuous. Er means dumb in Beijing dialect but is a term of endearment) in 2013as a cartoon character.

Longquan Temple's animation studio created these models of the temple and monks with light clay. The temple gives monk dolls to tourists as souvenirs.

The temple set up an animation studio the same year, staffed and managed by monks and volunteers with backgrounds in animation.

The temple's cartoons have attracted hundreds of millions of viewers on Chinese social media platform Weibo and the monks have produced comic books that dispense Xian'er's brand of Buddhist wisdom.

High-tech temple

Xianxun said Longquan didn't set out to be a high-tech temple but many of the monks are highly educated with backgrounds in technology, aerospace, engineering, mathematics, medical science and finance.

Xian Xun graduated from a prestigous university with a degree in economics before becoming a monk.

Himself a graduate of the prestigious Peking University, Xianxun said the main reason is that the temple is in an area close to Beijing's -- and arguably China's -- top universities.

China officially remains an atheist country.

In the temple's library, which houses tens of thousands of Buddhist books, a full array of ideological works by and about Chinese President Xi Jinping can hardly be missed.

Yet Xian'er doesn't seem care too much about Communist ideology（as if Xian'er cares much about Capitalist ideology ）.

When asked about his Chinese dream -- a term President Xi Jinping promotes -- he says he wants to open an ice cream stand.（Western journalism again shows its utter stupidity）

 

[onebyone]

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-kukas-robotics-boss-welcomes-prospect-of-chinese-ownership-2016-6

A robot arm of German industrial robot maker Kuka is pictured at the company's stand in Hanover Thomson Reuters


By Georgina Prodhan and Irene Preisinger

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Chinese ownership should benefit Germany's Kuka, the German firm's robotics chief said, as the company and its shareholders mull a 4.5 billion-euro ($5.1 billion) offer from home appliances maker Midea.

Kuka already sells 25 to 30 percent of its robots in China, Stefan Lampa said on Wednesday, adding it was essential to have research and development centers there for the local market, as the German firm has had for the past year-and-a-half.

China, whose government has made the automation of manufacturing a top priority, is the world's biggest industrial robot market, although growth in robot demand there slowed to 17 percent last year from 56 percent a year earlier.

"China is a super-important market in robotics. Having an owner that comes from that market most probably will be beneficial for us or for whoever has a Chinese owner," Lampa told Reuters in an interview.



Kuka's chief executive Till Reuter has welcomed Midea's bid, the largest yet by a Chinese buyer for a German company, but has yet to make an official recommendation to shareholders.

Meanwhile, Kuka's supervisory board has given him a free hand in negotiating with Midea, sources told Reuters on Tuesday, over potential points of contention such as guarantees to protect jobs and intellectual property.

Robots are increasingly being used in factories and also for tasks such as personal care or surgery. Kuka's robotics sales last year totaled 910 million euros, and Lampa said Chinese growth was in a different league to other markets.

Kuka is expanding into electronics and other sectors but still makes the lion's share of its revenues in automotive.

"The speed of deployment is completely different. Here we talk about installing 100 robots in a factory in a year, there we talk about 1,000," he said at the Automatica robotics fair.

"If you try to do it far away you don't have time," Lampa said, adding that robots for the Chinese market had to be simpler than for other markets because there was a layer of technical expertise missing in factories.

"All of those people will disappear in China because everyone who can afford it wants their kids to be engineers or get high university degrees," he said, whereas in Germany skilled workers would welcome a complicated robot.

"In China, you have to think different," he said. "We need to utilize the blue-collar workforce to interact with the robot, and that development work has to be done in China."

Lampa said Chinese demand growth should be sustainable, partly because electronics assembly was still offshored to manual workers in lower-cost countries such as Vietnam or Bangladesh, and would become automated as wages there rose too.

Fears about the impact of robots on employment prompted a draft motion to the European Parliament last month saying robots' growing intelligence, pervasiveness and autonomy requires a rethink of everything from taxation to legal liability.

 

[cirr]

THE GREAT UNDERWATER WALL OF ROBOTS: CHINESE EXHIBIT SHOWS OFF SEA DRONES


CHINESE ROBOT SUBMARINES BLANKETING THE OCEAN FLOOR SOON

By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer Posted Yesterday at 7:00pm

www.top81.cn

Underwater Great Wall of China

The Underwater Great Wall may be centered around stationary sensors on the ocean bed, but autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles will be a critical enabler in not just tracking enemy submarines, but finding them. Also note the large AUV's reflection on the display glass.

The Chinese Navy, the PLAN, appears to be following in the footsteps of its sister service, the People's Liberation Army Air Force, in making growing investments in unmanned surface and underwater systems, aka "drones." A new Chinese exhibit shows the scale of the potential future.

www.top81.cn

A Wide Range of UUVs

China is experimenting in building autonomous UUVs of all shapes and sizes, looking to make them work together with each other, and Chinese warships too.

One area where unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and unmanned surface vehicles (USV) would make a splash is in Chinese anti-submarine warfare (ASW) efforts. ASW capabilities have been a longstanding weak spot for the PLAN, leaving it at a disadvantage to American and Japanese attack submarines. As a response, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), which builds virtually all PLAN warships, has proposed an "Underwater Great Wall" of sensors, positioned on the seabed floor, to listen for enemy submarines. (The US had a similar system on the Atlantic Ocean floor to listen for Soviet submarines.) Such underwater listening posts may already have been installed near the giant PLAN base at Sanya, Hainan Island in the South China Sea. On a more optimistic note, CSSC suggested that an Underwater Great Wall would be useful for warning against natural disasters like tsunami, and could be used to collect research data on marine life and geology.

www.top81.cn

System of Systems

Future Chinese anti-submarine warfare systems will rely on a wide arsenal of autonomous and surface unmanned vehicles, in addition to acoustic (and other types of) sensors installed on the ocean floor.

In addition to active and passive sensors located up to 3,000 meters underwater, the Underwater Great Wall will be supported by a wide range of USVs. Chinese researchers intend that these autonomous USVs will be able to work in conjunction with the seabed sensor picket line, and autonomously locate and track enemy submarines.

www.top81.cn

SARV

The Semi-Autonomous Robotic Vehicle can be launched from torpedo tubes and racks on submarines, surface ships, missiles and aircraft, which would extend the situational awareness of Chinese submarines, while reducing risk from hostile ASW forces.

For example, one USV is the torpedo shaped Semi-Autonomous Robotic Vehicle (SARV). It has ports on its front for sensor installation, and a dorsal (top) side detachable sensor pod (possibly passive sonar). It can be launched out of a submarine's torpedo tube, enabling it to act as a force multiplier for Chinese submarines, in addition to its underwater great wall duties.

www.top81.cn

Double Bodied UUV

This innovative double bodied unmanned underwater vehicle allows for more sensitive sensors (especially passive sonar to listen for other submarines) in the smaller upper body, and a lighter mass compared to a larger UUV with similar performance.

Another type of USV are dual bodied USVs. The main propulsion hull has another, smaller hull attached to its top, which can carry a wide range of sensitive ASW equipment (the smaller hull can even come with its own sensor pods). Additionally, there are more conventional underwater gliders which manipulate their buoyancy and wings in order to glide between seawater layers of different temperature and densities.

www.top81.cn

Large AUV

This large AUV, similar to the USN's LDUUV, is used for long term autonomous missions; its size allows for it to carry modular payloads of sensors, mine warfare and ASW.

The 5-10 ton Autonomous Robotic Vehicle (ARV), which is similar to USN's LDUUV in size and shape, is intended for long endurance missions and hauling larger payloads than your average torpedo-like UUV. The ARV can be deployed submarines and surface ships, and likely has a modular payload capacity for surveillance, intelligence collection, mine countermeasure and anti-submarine warfare missions.

www.top81.cn

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

Just as Chinese drones have filled the skies in Asia, Chinese UUVs will likely make their market around the world, both in Chinese and foreign service.

To fully unlock the potential of UUVs, Chinese scientists will have to master autonomous intelligence for these underwater robots, not just individually but also to teach them to 'swarm', in working together with one another with little or no human oversight, as well as with other naval platforms. Other technologies would include new forms of underwater communication and datalink technologies, as well as precise navigation systems and multiple sensor payloads.

http://www.popsci.com/great-underwater-wall-robots-chinese-exhibit-shows-off-sea-drones

 

[TaiShang]

Kuka's chief sure Chinese ownership beneficial

Shanghai Daily, June 23, 2016

Chinese ownership should benefit Germany's Kuka, the German firm's robotics chief said, as the company and its shareholders mull a 4.5 billion-euro (US$5.1 billion) offer from home appliances maker Midea.

Kuka already sells 25 to 30 percent of its robots in China, Stefan Lampa said yesterday, adding it was essential to have research and development centers there for the local market, as the German robotics firm has had for the past year-and-a-half.

China, whose government has made the automation of manufacturing a top priority, is the world's biggest industrial robot market, although growth in robot demand there slowed to 17 percent last year from 56 percent a year earlier.

"China is a super-important market in robotics. Having an owner that comes from that market most probably will be beneficial for us or for whoever has a Chinese owner," Lampa told Reuters in an interview.

Kuka’s chief executive Till Reuter has welcomed Midea’s bid, the largest yet by a Chinese buyer for a German company, but has yet to make an official recommendation to shareholders.

Meanwhile, Kuka’s supervisory board has given him a free hand in negotiating with Midea, sources told Reuters on Tuesday, over potential points of contention such as guarantees to protect jobs and intellectual property.

Robots are increasingly being used in factories and also for tasks such as personal care or surgery. Kuka's robotics sales last year totaled 910 million euros, and Lampa said Chinese growth was in a different league to other markets.

Kuka is expanding into electronics and other sectors but still makes the lion’s share of its revenues in automotive.

"The speed of deployment is completely different. Here we talk about installing 100 robots in a factory in a year, there we talk about 1,000," he said at the Automatica robotics fair.

***

This acquisition must be materialized.

 

[Beidou2020]

Industry continues to be dominated by foreign manufacturers, but locals boost level to 31%

China's industrial robot manufacturers have significantly increased their local market share, as the country is keen on automating its production base, industry experts said.

Although China's robotics market is still dominated by foreign companies, domestic robot makers had expanded their market share to 31 percent in 2015, while in 2013 it was only about 25 percent, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the International Federationof Robotics.

Sales of industrial robots grew 17 percent year-on-year in 2015 in China, with 68,000 industrial robots sold, the report said.

Due to the economic slowdown and China's reforms in the manufacturing sector, the growth rate slackened last year. Robot sales in 2014 were up 56 percent on the previous year. Nonetheless, China surpassed the total market volume for Europe, whose total sales forindustrial robots in 2015 was 50,000 units, the report said.

Ding Zhilei, assistant president of Ninebot Inc, a Beijing-based short-distance personal electric-vehicle and robot maker, said China's robotics industry had gained a lot from thegovernment and the capital markets over the past few years.

"Many Chinese robot makers are investing a lot in research and development to improve the performance of their products," he said.

"We invest about 8 percent to 10 percent of our revenue in R&D, so I think the quality disparity between the products of Chinese makers and overseas companies is narrowing. In some areas, Chinese makers have the potential to lead technology innovation," he added.

Chinese producers are keen to develop their capabilities and move up the value chain through M&As. Midea Group, China's biggest maker of home appliances based in Foshan, Guangdong province, on June 16 launched an offer for all the shares above its current 13.5 percent stake in Kuka AG, a German technology leader in robotics and automation.

China is in the process of transforming from a labor-intensive manufacturing hub into a manufacturing power with high-tech and innovations, and developing the robotics sector is seen as an important part of this.

In April, a robotics industry development plan was issued by three ministries to stimulate healthy growth in the industry for the coming five years. The plan envisages that by 2020, the number of industrial robots made by Chinese companies with self-owned brands will reach 100,000 units.

The worldwide sales of industrial robots reached a record high of 248,000 units in 2015, which represented a rise of 12 percent on the previous year. The report said it expected that by 2018, some 2.3 million units would be deployed on factory floors.

 

[TaiShang]

Industry continues to be dominated by foreign manufacturers, but locals boost level to 31%

China's industrial robot manufacturers have significantly increased their local market share, as the country is keen on automating its production base, industry experts said.

Although China's robotics market is still dominated by foreign companies, domestic robot makers had expanded their market share to 31 percent in 2015, while in 2013 it was only about 25 percent, according to a report issued on Wednesday by the International Federationof Robotics.

Sales of industrial robots grew 17 percent year-on-year in 2015 in China, with 68,000 industrial robots sold, the report said.

Due to the economic slowdown and China's reforms in the manufacturing sector, the growth rate slackened last year. Robot sales in 2014 were up 56 percent on the previous year. Nonetheless, China surpassed the total market volume for Europe, whose total sales forindustrial robots in 2015 was 50,000 units, the report said.

Ding Zhilei, assistant president of Ninebot Inc, a Beijing-based short-distance personal electric-vehicle and robot maker, said China's robotics industry had gained a lot from thegovernment and the capital markets over the past few years.

"Many Chinese robot makers are investing a lot in research and development to improve the performance of their products," he said.

"We invest about 8 percent to 10 percent of our revenue in R&D, so I think the quality disparity between the products of Chinese makers and overseas companies is narrowing. In some areas, Chinese makers have the potential to lead technology innovation," he added.

Chinese producers are keen to develop their capabilities and move up the value chain through M&As. Midea Group, China's biggest maker of home appliances based in Foshan, Guangdong province, on June 16 launched an offer for all the shares above its current 13.5 percent stake in Kuka AG, a German technology leader in robotics and automation.

China is in the process of transforming from a labor-intensive manufacturing hub into a manufacturing power with high-tech and innovations, and developing the robotics sector is seen as an important part of this.

In April, a robotics industry development plan was issued by three ministries to stimulate healthy growth in the industry for the coming five years. The plan envisages that by 2020, the number of industrial robots made by Chinese companies with self-owned brands will reach 100,000 units.

The worldwide sales of industrial robots reached a record high of 248,000 units in 2015, which represented a rise of 12 percent on the previous year. The report said it expected that by 2018, some 2.3 million units would be deployed on factory floors.

Very good news. The 13th 5-Year plan has specific focus on indigenous automation of manufacturing. I believe that byt the end of the decade, the domestic content will reach 50%.