Smart health innovations steal limelight at AI show in Beijing

From AI-powered health wearables to diagnosis robots and ultra-dexterous bionic hands, smart health innovations stole the limelight at the Beijing International AI Application and Robot Innovation Show, which just concluded on Friday.

The three-day event brought together about 200 brands from China, Canada, Sweden, and other countries, showcasing cutting-edge technologies spanning AI's foundational, technical, and application layers, as well as intelligent robots and core components.

Among the most visited booths was Andun Health's, where attendees gathered to experience the company's newly launched Life Warning Watch 5X series. Designed specifically for older adults, the smartwatch features predictive health monitoring capabilities that alert users to potential physiological risks.

Andun also debuted its intelligent, multimodal diagnosis robot for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The system integrates TCM diagnostic principles with AI to offer comprehensive health assessments.

"Andun designed this smartwatch from the very beginning with middle-aged and elderly users in mind. What older adults need from a product is simplicity and directness. So the watch we've created is straightforward: if you know how to charge it and wear it on your wrist, you're all set. It's incredibly easy to use. Beyond wrist-worn devices, we're also developing smart sneakers that leverage pressure sensors to track fitness and wellness metrics. And of course, right here beside us is our TCM multi-modal diagnosis robot," said Bai Weimin, founder of the company.

Another standout exhibit was the Y-Hand M2, a highly dexterous bionic hand developed by Beijing Daqi Yuequan Bionics Technology.

Featuring the world's highest degree of freedom for a prosthetic hand, the device enables precise, nuanced movements that closely mimic human hand function.

"The flagship product we're showcasing at this expo is our new bionic tension-compression dexterous hand, the Y-Hand M2. This dexterous hand integrates an original technical framework centered on the bionic tension-compression body, pioneered by the bionic engineering team at Jilin University. It now achieves an excellent balance between performance and output speed. In particular, it can deliver a five-finger grip strength of 330 newtons while maintaining an ultra-fast hand-open/close cycle of just 0.2 seconds. These performance metrics represent a leading standard across the industry. The capabilities of this dexterous hand are now remarkably close to those of a human hand, and in certain specifications, it even surpasses human performance. In practical terms, it can be deployed in virtually any scenario where a human hand would be used," said Zhao Di, CTO of Beijing Daqi Yuequan Bionics Technology.

Zhao noted that the technology holds significant promise for assisting individuals with limb disabilities.

As the industry matures and production scales, manufacturing costs will drop significantly, and control systems will continue to iterate. Ultimately, this technology will find its way into everyday life, said Zhao.

Smart health innovations steal limelight at AI show in Beijing

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