Embodied intelligent robots boom in east China city

Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province in east China has seen booming development in embodied artificial intelligent robots, with mushrooming of innovative enterprises and mature supporting industrial chain clusters.

Wuzhong District of Suzhou began to focus on building the robotics and intelligent manufacturing sectors as its leading industries in 2017. Now there are more than 1,100 related companies, with a full-chain industrial ecosystem being built.

In a startup that was established in 2024, technicians are training a dog-shaped embodied intelligent robot designed to offer accompanying services.

Software engineers have trained the robot dog to avoid obstacles and track moving objects autonomously.

For example, after the user kicks away a football, the dog is expected to chase the moving ball and push it back in an agile manner.

More importantly, according to developers, every step of the robot is taken through its own perception and judgment, rather than through remote control.

Internal core components of the robot dog's actuator motor alone might be opted from a dozen manufacturers in Wuzhong District, and for high-quality sensors, there are dozens companies in Suzhou able to provide. As for reducers, the leading supplier in China or even the world is located in Wuzhong District. So, once the company goes into mass production, the product supply chain system can match it locally, thereby reducing production costs and improving competitiveness, according to developers.

Embodied intelligent robots boom in east China city

China's commodity price index stood at 129.9 points in March, up 4 percent month on month and 14.5 percent year on year, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Sunday.

Among the 50 major commodities under key monitoring by the CFLP, 38 recorded a month-on-month price increase in March.

Specifically, diesel, methanol and ethylene glycol led the gains, rising 30.5 percent, 30.4 percent and 29.3 percent, respectively, from the previous month.

Affected by imported factors such as tensions in the Middle East and a sharp rise in international crude oil prices, China's energy and chemical price indices rose significantly, up 16.5 percent and 21.8 percent month on month, respectively.

Driven by rising international fertilizer prices and growing demand for biofuels, China's agricultural product price index increased by 2.8 percent month on month.

Analysts noted that the sharp rise in the commodity price index in March comes from factors such as the recovery of the domestic commodity market, the good outcomes of policies, and the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Given the increasingly volatile international commodity prices and the rising uncertainties in importing energy, chemicals and other commodities, it is necessary to diversify the sources of raw materials, expand the use of alternative resources, and enhance the ability to resist and respond to risky factors that may cause fluctuation in markets, said the analysts.

China's commodity price index up 4 pct in March