China, Israel eye cooperation on medical robots

2016-12-14
Xinhua

GUANGZHOU — Chinese and Israeli research institutes and companies attending an exposition on Dec 13 in Guangzhou are keen to cooperate on developing medical robots.

Nine Israeli companies at the event brought with them robotics currently used in spinal surgery, 3D imaging, and medicinal dosage handling devices.

Israeli Robotics Association Chairperson Zvi Shiller said Israel has developed robots to help the disabled go to the toilet, shower and climb escalators. Israeli firms are actively looking for partners to produce and sell their robots in the Chinese market. More than 40 Chinese companies have shown interest during the expo, while others have pitched business ideas to their Israeli counterparts.

Chinese tech firm Gosuncn Technology Group is investing heavily in patrol robots. A senior company official said his team have had a hard time overcoming some technological issues two years into the project and are hoping to find Israeli partners.

Du Lan, senior vice president of iFlytek, is working to combine speech recognition with healthcare. The company is working with its major shareholder China Mobile on a series of voice-to-text and text-to-voice applications.

In a recent experiment with Peking University School of Stomatology, the company designed a voice recognition device for doctors. The device captures the dialogue between doctor and patient and transcribes it into a formal diagnosis report without the doctor lifting a finger.

Du said the technology helps stressed medics save time and energy by delegating tasks to robots. iFlyteck, Du said, wishes to bring Israeli counterparts onboard to explore business opportunities.

Chinese research institutes and tech companies are looking to robotics and other innovations as new drivers of the economy, in manufacturing, services, finance and health sectors.

Chen Zhiying, a senior official in Guangzhou Development Zone, said the zone is planning a robot industry park with favorable policies to draw the world’s leading firms and researchers.

The development will make Guangzhou a focal point of robotics in the region, which hosts a large number of Chinese manufacturers and played a key role in the development of the export-oriented economy.