Job fair for robots in SW China sci-tech hub showcases AI-driven healthcare innovation

CHENGDU -- Authorities in Chengdu city, a sci-tech hub in Southwest China, have unveiled their inaugural demand lists for hospital and senior care robotics at a special job fair for robots.

The pioneering event, hosted by the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, civil affairs bureau, and health commission on Wednesday, highlighted Chengdu's ambition to become a national hub for robotics innovation while addressing labor shortages through automation.

The elderly care demand lists features 22 categories of robots spanning daily life assistance, rehabilitation nursing, safety patrols, and emotional companionship, and involves five projects across four institutions, according to the municipal bureau of economy and information technology.

For hospitals, needs ranged from medical assistance and drug delivery to AI-powered diagnostics and precision rehabilitation, spanning 10 projects at nine medical centers.

Zhang Long, deputy director of the Information Department at Chengdu Seventh People's Hospital, arrived with a specific request: sanitation robots.

"Traditional manual disinfection is inefficient. We need smart devices to replace repetitive, single-task jobs," he said, reflecting a broader shift toward automation in public health.

As a "scenario builder," Zhang emphasized Chengdu's growing reliance on advanced robotics like surgical and rehabilitation assistants to meet rising healthcare demands.

Zhang described the event as a "mutually beneficial exploration," bridging tech developers and end-users.

Zhang's employer is among nine institutions piloting robots for tasks such as patient guidance and logistics.

"Opening up real-world scenarios as 'testing grounds' allows us to discover smarter robots gradually," he explained, noting that adoption starts with basic tasks like disinfection before scaling to complex roles.

Chengdu's government aims to accelerate this synergy. The municipal bureau of economy and information technology outlined plans to leverage the city's healthcare strengths to create a "demand-driven, scenario-validated" ecosystem.

Earlier, it identified 87 robotics products from 31 companies in its first supply catalog, enabling targeted match at the event.

Local tech startups also seized the opportunity to pitch cutting-edge solutions.

At the job fair, Feng Rui, chairman of a local technology company, entered wearing a helmet-like brain-computer interface device.

"This equipment is primarily used for autism screening. Today, I am here to seek 'partners'," he said plainly.

"Brain-control technology is an integral part of the robotics industry chain. There are several companies here that we can collaborate with," Feng noted, expressing his desire to find more testing grounds for the company's research and development products.

"Currently, our products are being used in several community health centers, and a production line in Jinjiang District is set to be operational within this year. We hope to seize opportunities like this to expand our market reach," he said.

Meanwhile, Fan Xinhua, CEO of Buffalo Robotics (Chengdu) Technology Co Ltd. promoted the company's exoskeletons, which have already been deployed to many of the nation's top hospitals.

The company's new-generation brain-controlled exoskeleton, set for 2025 release, uses neural signals to enhance rehabilitation accuracy.

"We aim to bring these devices into communities and homes, empowering the elderly and disabled," Fan said.

According to a report by the China Commercial Industry Research Institute on the development prospects of the service robot industry in China from 2025 to 2030, the market size for service robots in China was approximately 60 billion yuan (about $8.36 billion) in 2023, with an average annual compound growth rate of 32.41 percent over the past five years.

Analysts predict that the market size for service robots in China will grow to 85 billion yuan by 2025.

Backed by robust policies, Chengdu is fast-tracking its robotics industry with strategies including monthly themed robotics demand and supply match fairs and "robot plus" opportunity lists. It will also launch initiatives to crowdsource breakthroughs in core technologies while fostering collaboration among labs, manufacturers, and end-users.