[News4Europe]Bots Enthrall Visitors on Opening Day of Beijing World Robot Conference

Beijing, Aug 15 (efe-epa).-Robots showcased tai-chi and calligraphy skills, played the guitar, painted,danced to popular pop tunes, played soccer and even mixed cocktails to thedelight of the thousands of visitors attending the opening day of the WorldRobot Conference on Wednesday.

Humanoid robots, whichcould replace human workers in the near future, are set to be the stars of thisyear's conference that is themed "Creating Intelligent Momentum for a NewEra of Openness and Shared Benefits."

"The cost of theserobots are currently high at around $ 100,000, but when we can lower it, theirpopularity will increase," Hansen Shu, CEO of the firm Robosen told EFE inan email.

The conference, that runsuntil Aug. 19, is expected to be attended by world-renowned robotics experts.

It will host talks as wellas showcase the latest advances in the sector and hold competitions across thefive days.

More than 50,000participants are expected to attend the event that aims to "enhanceinternational cooperation on robotics, step up connections between smartsocieties, so as to benefit the social life of human," a press releasesaid.

The conference would alsobe showcasing drones and exoskeletons, which are futuristic frames that couldbe attached to human bodies to enable them to lift large weights without fearof injury.

According to theInternational Federation of Robotics, China is already one of the main marketsfor industrial robots, accounting for 25 percent of world sales.

"We are growingfaster in robotics than the US or Europe because we love changes, and we havean innovative bent of mind," Shu said.

(article source: News4Europe)