Connect with us

Business

Over Ten Leading Products Launched, Humanoid Robots Steal the Spotlight — Beijing E-Town Establishes a Complete Robotic Industry Chain

Published

on

Humanoid Robots

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 August 2024 – After achieving the world’s first humanoid running with a full-sized pure electric humanoid robot, “Tiangong” has demonstrated new skills. Walker S Lite has started its training in automotive smart factories, and the world’s first orthopedic surgical robot equipped with AI deep learning technology has been unveiled. Soft robots have also broken through industrial application bottlenecks. On August 21, the 2024 World Robot Conference opened in Beijing E-Town (Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area), showcasing over ten innovative products from Beijing E-Town at the 2024 World Robot Expo, with humanoid robots taking center stage. Through “Robot Mobilization,” Beijing E-Town has developed internationally leading humanoid robots, AI medical robots, and autonomously controlled key components, transforming these advancements into new productivity and continuously enhancing the innovation capability of the robot industry.

Dancing, bowing, greeting, grabbing objects by sound… when the nation’s first general-purpose humanoid robot platform “Tiangong” demonstrated these new skills, it once again caught attention. The last sensation was in April this year, when “Tiangong,” independently developed by the Beijing Embodied Intelligence Robot Innovation Center (referred to as the “Innovation Center”), achieved the world’s first humanoid running at a stable speed of 6 km/h with a full-sized pure electric humanoid robot. Four months later, “Tiangong” has been upgraded again, using a predictive reinforcement imitation learning method based on state memory, mastering more varied movements and speech-interactive grabbing capabilities under the support of a large embodied intelligence model. “When a person gives a voice command, the embodied intelligent robot can complete a set of grab-and-release actions based on the ‘open vocabulary object detection and arbitrary object segmentation multimodal model.’ We have now connected the embodied intelligence model pipeline, meaning robots can understand human commands, break down tasks, and complete them. In the future, robots will be able to help humans with more tasks,” explained Zhang Qiang, a humanoid robot algorithm expert at the Innovation Center. “We are committed to the development of key technologies and ecosystem construction for embodied intelligent robots. Currently, we are based in Beijing E-Town, and through the ‘Tiangong’ and ‘Kaiwu’ projects, we aim to promote technological innovation and industrial development, leading the industry in solving common problems.”

“We are launching two new products,” said a representative from the “Little Giant” enterprise, Tsino-Dynatron. “Among them, targeting the development trend of humanoid robots, we have independently developed the CoolDrive Mini ANT networked micro servo drive, which features high power density, high switching frequency, high bandwidth response, and low loss, suitable for applications requiring compact size and high bursts, such as humanoid robots and mechanical dogs.” Lingzu Times, established in Beijing E-Town just over eight months ago, has broken through the innovation bottleneck between lightness and stability in robot joints. Founder and COO Shao Yuanxin said, “Robot joints are the key to making humanoid robots as flexible as humans. Our self-developed Robstride04, a 120N.m integrated joint module, can drive medium-sized bipedal humanoid robots or full-sized quadruped robots.” The robotic arm used a “blue claw” to steadily grab and move a pot of tea, while soft robots demonstrated the secrets of “soft fingers” in industrial applications through an intelligent interactive robot tea art demonstration platform. The company’s self-developed flexible gripper can handle nearly 96% of irregular and fragile objects in industrial production, a level of technical complexity that only two companies globally have mastered.

In addition to significant breakthroughs in key technology development, more robots in Beijing E-Town have transformed into new productivity. UBTECH, which established its humanoid robot headquarters in Beijing E-Town this year, showcased its “humanoid robot troupe,” including Walker S and Walker S Lite, and demonstrated industrial humanoid robot solutions on-site. Haobao Yu, Vice President of UBTECH Robotics and Chairman of Beijing UBTECH Intelligent Robotics Co., Ltd., explained, “Combining end-to-end imitation learning, precise visual recognition, and fine full-body motion control technologies, the industrial version of the humanoid robot Walker S Lite has already ‘joined’ several automotive factories, such as collaborating with employees at the CTU inbound loading station in the Zeekr factory to perform handling tasks. It is the first humanoid robot in China to perform the entire process of material box handling tasks, both in execution and public display, with its operational completion and execution difficulty among the top in the industry.”

In the field of high-end medical equipment, Longwood Valley MedTech has launched ROPA, the world’s first orthopedic surgical robot equipped with AI deep learning technology. This AI+ROBOT innovation achieves surgical precision at the sub-millimeter level, addressing traditional surgical challenges such as reducing operation time, minimizing surgical risks, and alleviating patient pain,” said Dr. Zhang Yiling, Chairman of Longwood Valley MedTech. “With AI deep learning technology certified as ‘internationally leading’ by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, ROPA acts like a ‘super brain’ for orthopedic experts, allowing doctors to create individualized 3D surgical plans in just 5-10 minutes using only a patient’s CT scan. The sub-millimeter precision optical positioning system, akin to a ‘digital eye,’ provides real-time monitoring and tracking of the patient’s intraoperative position, helping surgeons overcome the visual limitations and blind spots of traditional surgeries. Paired with the ‘digital hand,’ an independently developed intelligent follow-up technology, every critical step in the surgery is executed with precision, achieving breakthroughs in surgical accuracy.” UNION STRONG showcased an intelligent surgical solution for intracranial aneurysm surgery, including a catheter shaping robot. Qin Lan, founder, chairman, and general manager of UNION STRONG, explained, “This solution is a disruptive innovation product that is both an original Chinese creation and the first of its kind globally. Its core AI software received China’s first Class III registration certificate for innovative medical devices for AI treatment, recognized as ‘internationally leading’ through national scientific and technological achievement evaluations. Through AI treatment and AI decision-making, this solution resolves critical clinical challenges, achieving ‘fully autonomous driving’ for key steps in intracranial aneurysm surgery. It not only enhances surgical precision but also improves safety and effectiveness in treatment.” This reflects Beijing E-Town’s accelerated efforts to build a global hub for “intelligent drug manufacturing.”

Moreover, SMC, a world-class manufacturer of automation control components with a 30-year history in Beijing E-Town, showcased a series of intelligent, energy-saving, and collaborative robot products, including the SMC ZXPE5 series electric vacuum gripper and the MH-X7654 series elastic fingers, which, when paired with Universal Robots, enable workpiece gripping and weighing. The Yaskawa Shougang Robot Co., Ltd.’s practical function training platform demonstrated robot capabilities such as vision-based palletizing and depalletizing, adhesive application, and robot health diagnostics, suitable for vocational college industrial robot teaching and training. JD Logistics presented a “Red Show” with its latest fifth-generation intelligent delivery vehicle, integrating 10 core technologies, including high-precision positioning, fusion perception, and behavior prediction. This vehicle represents the most scalable L4-level autonomous driving application in the industry, featuring remote on/off capabilities and monitoring, allowing real-time vehicle status management to enhance safety and efficiency. Jingcheng Machinery Electric focused on the equipment manufacturing field, showcasing innovative applications of AI technology, including AI-guided welding systems and industrial applications for welding, material handling, and smart brewing production lines. The robot machine tool loading and unloading workstation can be customized based on different characteristics of factory buildings, machine tools, and production materials, using a modular control system covering industries such as metal processing and general parts manufacturing.

Additionally, Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot made its Beijing debut, featuring 28 active joints and 11 degrees of freedom in its hands. Ti5 Robot launched the new T230 humanoid robot. Yi Gang, Founder of Ti5 Robot, stated, “The T230 is the first humanoid robot in China, standing 2.3 meters tall, primarily used for heavy object handling. By leveraging self-developed lightweight reducers and other core components, we have achieved a robot that is light yet powerful, with strength equivalent to three times that of a normal adult.”

New products and technologies that are both internationally and domestically pioneering continue to emerge and are being transformed into new productivity, thanks to the excellent industrial ecosystem and efficient organizational model of Beijing E-Town. An official from the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area explained that as the permanent venue for the World Robot Conference, Beijing E-Town has established the “Five Ones” working mechanism: one park, one batch of platforms, one center, one fund, and one group of talents. This mechanism accelerates the construction of a national robotics industry highland, with innovation elements rapidly gathering, capabilities significantly improving, vitality fully released, and innovation entities continuously expanding.

To date, more than 100 robotics ecosystem enterprises have been established, over half of which are specialized and innovative enterprises, with a production scale nearing 10-billion-yuan, accounting for 50% of the city’s robotics industry. Significant breakthroughs have been made in core components such as precision reducers and high-performance servo actuators, and innovative achievements have been realized in specialized and intelligent drilling machines. Particularly in the embodied intelligent robotics industry, key layouts include high-level innovation platforms represented by the Embodied Intelligence Innovation Center, with leading companies like UBTECH and key component companies such as Chietcom, Tsino-Dynatron, and Lingzu Times, forming a comprehensive embodied intelligent robotics industry chain covering core components, main bodies, and applications.

Business

African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Technical Sessions Put Technology Behind Africa’s Next Energy Projects in Focus

Published

on

Day 2 technical sessions at African Energy Week 2026 will examine frontier exploration, major gas developments, project economics and the technologies supporting Africa’s expanding oil, gas and LNG sectors

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –African Energy Week (AEW) 2026’s Day 2 Technical Stages will put the technology and technical expertise behind Africa’s next wave of energy projects in focus, with sessions covering subsurface interpretation, deepwater exploration, gas development, project economics, digitalization, offshore operations and infrastructure.

 




  

The program will unfold across two exhibition-hall stages, with the Drill Room focusing on practical applications across exploration, gas development, offshore operations and LNG, while the Innovation Hub will examine frontier exploration, energy markets, digital technologies and infrastructure. Together, the sessions connect project-level technologies with the wider investment and development challenges facing Africa’s energy industry.

The day opens with GeoEnergy Petroleum Director Maged Fahim, who will examine how legacy and newly acquired subsurface datasets can be integrated with modern technologies to identify additional upstream opportunities. TGS Principal Exploration Advisor Felicia Winter will then focus on Angola’s deepwater basins, examining how modern seismic acquisition and imaging can be used to reinterpret existing data and evaluate frontier plays.

The discussions come as Angola seeks to build on renewed offshore activity. TotalEnergies announced in September that it plans to invest $10 billion in Angola over the next five years, including in exploration, while advancing its $6 billion Kaminho deepwater development.

Gas development will take center stage through two presentations by TotalEnergies. Alexandre Depiesse, GPI Venus, will address appraisal strategies and commercial viability for Orange Basin discoveries, while Mozambique LNG Operations and Project Director Nicolas Cambefort will examine development and optimisation of the Rovuma Basin gas resources. Mozambique LNG, a 13.1-million-ton-per-year project in Area 1 led by TotalEnergies, resumed activities in January 2026 following the lifting of force majeure, putting development of Mozambique’s major offshore gas resources back into focus.

AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production

The Republic of Congo National Showcase will provide another perspective on Africa’s expanding LNG industry. The country’s Congo LNG project reached a new stage in February 2026 with the start of commercial production from its second phase. The addition of the Nguya FLNG unit brought total liquefaction capacity to 3 million tons per year, expanding Congo’s ability to monetize its offshore gas resources.

The program will then broaden from individual projects to the continent-wide investment outlook with the launch of The State of African Energy 2027. AEC Senior Vice President Verner Ayukegba and S&P Global Energy Executive Director Max Pietzsch will present the outlook, covering upstream oil and gas, LNG, downstream markets, power, renewables and critical minerals against changing demand, trade flows and energy security requirements.

Project decision-making will remain under examination as S&P Global Energy Technical Research Analyst Tasnika Goorhoo presents “From Limited Data to Better Decisions: How Benchmarking Strengthens Upstream Project Outcomes.” The session will examine how comparative project data can help operators assess performance, costs and development outcomes.

NOV Vice President Mats Anderson will address offshore optimization through high-speed downhole connectivity and real-time distributed measurements, examining how faster access to downhole information can improve operational visibility and decision-making.

Infrastructure will also feature prominently, with Kenyon International West Africa CEO Victor Ekpenyong examining asset integrity and pipeline infrastructure through the company’s CACTUS and FlexSteel technologies. Honeywell Technologies Africa will close the technology-focused sessions with its end-to-end LNG offering, while SLB, InSwitch, the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone and PETROSEN will bring additional perspectives on technology, digitalization and energy services.

“AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “From subsurface interpretation and deepwater exploration to LNG development, project benchmarking, digitalization and infrastructure, these technical sessions highlight the expertise and technologies needed to develop Africa’s resources efficiently and create lasting value across the energy value chain.”

AEW 2026 takes place from October 12–16 in Cape Town, bringing together governments, investors, operators and technology providers to discuss investment, project development and the future of Africa’s energy sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Rising power costs put energy strategy at the centre of industrial competitiveness

Published

on

C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg to focus on the procurement, cost and investment decisions facing South Africa’s large energy users

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The cost of electricity is no longer only an energy issue for South African businesses. It is increasingly a question of competitiveness, investment and long-term operational resilience.

Recent figures show the pressure on large power users. Business Day reported on 7 September that South Africa’s mining and industrial majors paid Eskom R115 billion for electricity in the 2025/26 financial year. According to Eskom’s annual report, industrial electricity demand fell by more than 22% over the same period as high power costs weighed on energy-intensive operations.

 




  

At the same time, major businesses are moving to alternative supply. Reuters reported on 26 August that South African mining companies are accelerating investment in renewable energy to cut costs, diversify supply and meet decarbonisation targets.

For commercial and industrial energy users, the question is no longer simply how to secure power. It is how to buy it, what to invest in, and which energy strategy makes the strongest commercial sense.

Energy procurement is becoming more complex

Businesses are now weighing several procurement options at once. Should they sign a long-term PPA? Buy through an electricity trader? Wheel renewable power across the grid? Invest in behind-the-meter generation? Add battery storage? Each option carries different implications for cost, risk, contracting and long-term flexibility.

These decisions will take centre stage at the C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg, taking place on 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton. The programme is built around the practical challenges facing energy buyers today, with a focus on real projects, commercial models and implementation rather than technology in isolation.

A programme built around the buyer’s decisions

The summit closes with the C&I Decision Clinic: Ask the Experts, a masterclass where attendees submit real project challenges in advance and receive practical, anonymised responses from experts. Questions on the table include whether to build onsite PV or sign a wheeled PPA, how much battery storage makes commercial sense, what a bankable project preparation pack should contain, and what financiers require before term sheet stage.

It follows The C&I Energy Playbook: Five decisions business leaders need to make now, a closing panel in which the moderators of key summit sessions distil the programme into the priorities C&I businesses should act on.

Other sessions address the questions buyers are asking now:

  • Energy storage beyond backup power: unlocking commercial value examines peak shaving, demand charge management, energy arbitrage and hybrid PV-plus-storage business models, along with the operational realities of dispatch, degradation and warranties.
  • Making public-private engagement work for you unpacks how wheeling agreements are structured in practice, where interface risks arise, and how businesses can engage utilities and municipalities early.
  • Reducing energy costs without building new generation is a case-study-led workshop on energy efficiency, operational optimisation, demand response and digital energy management.
  • Projects Spotlight gives energy users the floor to share the strategies they have implemented, the lessons learned and the outcomes achieved.

The programme opens with the keynote panel Threats and opportunities in South Africa’s industrial future, bringing together policymakers, industrial leaders, financiers, and energy and water experts.

Bringing energy buyers into the conversation

The summit’s Hosted Buyer Programme is designed for qualified end-user energy buyers across sectors including mining, manufacturing, property, agriculture and other energy-intensive industries. Hosted buyers take part in the full programme and receive curated engagement with solution providers across energy procurement, storage deployment and project development.

Four events, one venue

The summit is co-located with the EIUG Conference, Water Security Africa and the Data Centre Summit, bringing the energy, water and digital infrastructure communities together in Sandton. It is brought to you by Enlit Africa, with ESI Africa as host media, and is accredited by the SAIEE.

Qualified commercial and industrial energy users can apply for the Hosted Buyer Programme at https://apo-opa.co/4yPnXOg, and bring their project questions to the Decision Clinic.

Full programme: https://apo-opa.co/4xK2ANv

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

Continue Reading

Events

Beyond the carbon credit: Who sets the terms for Africa’s carbon markets?

Published

on

From project ownership and verification to pricing and benefit-sharing, CMAS 2026 will bring African market leaders and global decision-makers together to examine who creates and captures value

KIGALI, Rwanda, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –A carbon credit may be traded as a single unit, but its value is shaped long before it reaches a buyer. Decisions about project ownership, finance, data, verification and benefit-sharing determine who participates, who carries the risk and who ultimately benefits. As new regulations and international partnerships expand market access, these questions are becoming increasingly important across Africa.

 




 
 

They will be central to the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) 2026, taking place from 13 to 15 October at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda. The summit will convene African governments, project developers, investors, buyers and technical experts involved in decisions across the carbon-market value chain.

Countries are approaching these decisions from different regulatory, economic and environmental positions. While recent developments in East Africa demonstrate growing market activity, questions concerning international requirements, technical capacity, investment and benefit-sharing are relevant across Africa.

Ousmane Fall SARR, Coordinator of the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance, says:

“African countries are developing carbon markets from different starting points. Stronger African expertise and regional cooperation will be important if the continent is to contribute to the standards and market practices that determine how its projects compete, attract investment and create value.”

Against this continental backdrop, East Africa provides a timely example of how the market is developing. In January 2026, Rwanda and Singapore invited applications for carbon-credit projects under their bilateral Implementation Agreement, aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Credits from authorised projects may be used by eligible Singapore-based carbon tax-liable companies to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions, subject to both governments’ requirements.

African countries are developing carbon markets from different starting points

Across the continent, carbon market frameworks are rapidly taking shape. Kenya and Uganda are strengthening regulatory oversight, regional partnerships are helping governments build market capacity and infrastructure, and South Africa is advancing reforms to modernise its carbon-credit ecosystem and attract investment. Together, these developments are bringing greater focus to questions of authorisation, project ownership, verification, pricing and access to international buyers, while also raising expectations that carbon finance should deliver sustainable economic and development value beyond the credit itself.

Emmanuelle Nicholls, Portfolio Director for CMAS, says:

“A carbon credit may be the final product, but behind it are decisions about ownership, data, risk, pricing and who ultimately benefits. The conversations in Kigali will examine what credible participation looks like across the full carbon-market value chain.”

These decisions have consequences beyond individual transactions. Carbon finance is increasingly connected to conservation, agriculture, soil restoration, food security, clean energy and waste management. Its success will therefore also be judged by whether projects produce credible environmental outcomes and lasting benefits for African economies and communities.

A practical example comes from the Chinko Conservation Area in the Central African Republic, where revenue from the Chinko Carbon Project is channelled through a community fund that supports locally selected initiatives, including the expansion of a medical centre in Agoumar. At CMAS 2026, African Parks and Welthungerhilfe, both Bronze Sponsors, will share perspectives on how carbon finance can support conservation, climate resilience, food systems and community development, while highlighting broader questions around project governance, impact and the distribution of value.

From project-level impact to market-wide structures, these questions will underpin discussions at CMAS 2026. The programme will address government authorisation, buyer requirements, pricing and offtake, investment risk, early-stage finance, registries and African measurement, reporting and verification capacity. It will connect the question of who sets the terms with the practical requirements for building credible, investment-ready projects and transactions.

CMAS 2026 is hosted by the Ministry of Environment of Rwanda, with UNDP and the African Development Bank as host organisations, the Development Bank of Southern Africa as host partner and AUDA-NEPAD as strategic institutional partner.

Taking place ahead of COP31, CMAS will focus attention on the decisions behind every carbon credit and what they mean for African governments, projects, investors and communities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version