Rise of the robots

As China's population declines, experts are calling for more research into artificial intelligence, big data and smart manufacturing to maintain an economic and industrial edge and to drive development. Cheng Yingqi and Shan Juan report.

China's rapid development means it's no longer unusual to see fixed robot arms working around the clock, performing simple, highly repetitive tasks, such as welding and moving components on a typical production line.

For the factories, robots make good employees; they work long hours, don't claim wages and never complain. Meanwhile, for an aging China, with its declining birth rate, robots, particularly the industrial kind, may offer a solution to a looming labor shortage that could potentially drag down economic growth over the long term.