More robots for Tianjin industries

The annual output of the robotics industry in Tianjin is expected to be worth 12 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) by 2020, with the total number reaching 60,000 robots, according to the Tianjin Municipal Commission of Industry and Information Technology.

An underwater robot made by a Tianjin company to clean the bottom of ships has attracted a lot of attention after it won a prize at an innovation contest last month.

"The working efficiency of the underwater robot could be enhanced by three times compared with manual work. The robot can be widely applied to large ships, propellers and precision instruments for offshore exploration," said Zhang Yang, general manager of Tianjin OSTAR Underwater Vehicles Co Ltd.