Indonesian figure skaters expressed their excitement about competing in the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games -- an event typically dominated by countries with strong winter sports traditions -- while also praising the beauty of the host city, Harbin.
Running from February 7 to14 in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the 9th Asian Winter Games has brought together 1,275 competitors from 34 countries and regions, making it the largest edition of the Games in terms of overall participation.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Indonesian figure skaters Dwiki Eka Ramadhan and Kelly Elizabeth Supangat described the competition as a breakthrough moment for their country's emerging winter sports scene.
"For us, (competing) in the ice dance discipline is like the first time. And actually, in Indonesia, it's the first time we have ice dancing. For us, it’s really a breakthrough. Basically, growing the sport in our country is the most important (thing), especially winter sports, because we come from a tropical country," said Ramadhan.
Supangat highlighted the growing interest in Indonesia’s winter sports scene, noting the surprise many people expressed upon learning that the country has a figure skating team. She emphasized the team's broader goal of expanding participation in winter sports and inspiring more Indonesians to take up disciplines like snowboarding and skiing.
"I know a lot of people on social media have been reposting about our figure skating team, and a lot of comments were like, 'Oh, we didn't know that Indonesia has winter sports,’ and we have a winter sports team in like three disciplines. So our goal is to try to have more people participate in winter sports. And maybe have some people participate in snowboarding and skiing, just because we started this, being ones of the first few people in Indonesia going for winter sports like (at an event like the) Asian Winter Games," she said.
The athletes shared their admiration for Harbin, praising its stunning architecture and vibrant attractions, and highlighted their experience visiting the famous Snow and Ice World, where they got a glimpse of the local tourism scene.
"It is so beautiful. The architecture is really nice. It’s very classic [with] high-rise buildings, and we went to the Snow and Ice World, so we had a little glimpse of the touristy things we are [able] to do here. And it's so fun, and it's so beautiful" said Supangat.
Indonesian figure skaters thrilled to compete at Asian Winter Games
An innovative, China-developed intelligent caisson robot has played a crucial role in completing the main structure of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge in east China's Jiangsu Province, with its key ability to see in muddy water allowing more real-time monitoring and flexible drilling.
This advanced technology has significantly shortened the time required to construct the underwater foundation work needed for this project, which is designed to become the world's largest span cable-stayed bridge.
Due to the bridge's unique construction requirements, traditional drilling methods were inadequate for meeting the load-bearing demands of the main tower. The bridge's foundation differs from conventional suspension bridges; its main tower caissons are located within the river.
Employing cylindrical caissons, each weighing 23,000 tons, more than three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower, and covering an area equivalent to 13 basketball courts, these underwater caissons represent the world's largest underwater foundation.
Measuring 5.9 meters in length and 3.6 meters in height, the intelligent caisson robot, designed as China's first of its kind, operates underwater like a small truck. This pioneering robot ensures stability in anchoring even the most enormous underwater caissons.
To achieve uniform soil extraction in underwater visualization so that the giant caisson can take root smoothly in the water, the engineering construction team spent two years developing this smart caisson robotics system.
"This robot has realized one of its biggest difference-making functions: its ability to see underwater. With sonar and high-definition cameras for deep and muddy water, it operates underwater with real-time visual monitoring and adjustment," said Yang Le, director of large equipment department under China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd., responsible for the project construction.
Once deployed, the operator can adjust the robot's position using built-in range-finders and monitoring devices to its best working status.
"The drill in front has two functions: crush and absorb. By rotating the drill, the soil of various kinds is crushed and carried away by pipelines. Above the drill head is an 18-mega-pascal high-pressure water jet, which can break through hard soil layers and extract debris before suction. We also have a 380-cubic-meter-per-hour suction pump to remove sediment at an operation rate of 200 cubic meters per hour," Yang said.
The robotic arm's 360-degree mobility ensures even sediment extraction, which is critical for stabilizing the 300-meter caissons.
The robot also revolutionized underwater sediment removal, addressing risks of uneven excavation and tilt in traditional open caisson construction using air suction machines, which were also labor-intensive.
"In the past, soil extraction during caisson construction relied on vertical conduits and air suction methods. We could only rely on our experience, and such traditional ways are prone to uneven excavation and tilt of caissons," said Yang.
With the help of intelligent caisson robots, the construction team completed excavating and sinking the main tower caissons for the bridge two months ahead of schedule, ensuring that the main tower is more stable and securely anchored.
"Previous regular mud suction equipment required six workers per shift to move 40 cubic meters of sediment hourly. This robot only takes one man to operate in the operation room to increase the mud suction amount to 200 cubic meters per hour. That is four to six times faster," Yang said.
The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge is expected to open to traffic this year, reducing travel time between Changzhou and Taizhou to just 20 minutes.
China-developed robot helps construct giant bridge in muddy water
China-developed robot helps construct giant bridge in muddy water
