The 26th China Hi-Tech Fair, which ran from Thursday to Saturday in south China's tech hub of Shenzhen, featured the debuts of over 4,300 new products and technologies.
One of the most eye-catching exhibits is an intelligent drone camera that doesn't require a remote control. It can take high-resolution pictures hovering at a certain distance above its owner after a facial recognition process.
"A great merit of the drone is it's portable, safe and convenient. The fully enclosed structure can effectively avoid visual obstacles for its 8K video camera. It is easy for customers to learn how to use the drone. It can fly at a speed up to 42 kilometers per hour. So it can be used during traveling and outdoor activities," said Song Yulong, an exhibitor.
Another highlight at the fair is a coffee robot capable of making latte art based on images uploaded to its system.
Besides daily products, the fair also presented many innovative solutions to production facilitation, such as a large language model that can quickly come up with dozens of design proposals based on a few pictures.
"For example, I upload the pictures of this pair of shoes and an armor, and then it can make a design based on just these two pictures. It can generate a specific and practical product design according to style references and modeling inputs," said Li Jiaxiang, another exhibitor.
The annual China Hi-Tech Fair, inaugurated in 1999, is the largest and the most influential science and technology fair in China.
This year's event attracted nearly 5,000 companies and organizations from over 100 countries and regions. More than 1,000 purchasing delegations around the world visited the fair, and more than 400,000 professional visitors negotiated deals at the fair.
It witnessed the signing of 869 contracts with their intended transaction volume surpassing 120 billion yuan (about 16.8 billion U.S. dollars).
New technologies, products shine at China Hi-Tech Fair
The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.
When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.
Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.
"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.
Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.
During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.
"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.
"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.
After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.
The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident
