News on China's scientific and technological development.

China plans to build its first vessel capable of retrieving archaeological findings from the sea by the end of 2013, a major step to strengthening the underwater search abilities of Chinese archaeologists who currently rely on rented shipping boats.

The 4.8-metre wide and 56-metre long boat, to be powered by an integrated full electric propulsion system, will "basically" meet China's underwater archaeological needs, according to a statement released by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) on Wednesday.

With a displacement of 860 tonnes, the vessel will be used in China's coastal areas and could sail as far as waters off the Xisha Islands, or the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, if sea conditions are good, it said.

Archaeologists will be able to use the ship to detect, locate, map, videotape and excavate underwater archaeological findings, according to the SACH.

The vessel is being designed by the 701 research institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and built by the Changhang Dongfeng shipbuilding corporation in Chongqing.

The news will be a boon for Chinese archeologists who have long struggled with the inconvenience of having to ride fishing boats along China's 18,000 km-long coastline in order to uncover the country's massive quantities of underwater relics.

Many speculators and fishermen have joined this hunt for treasures in the South China sea, a busy sea lane which is said to have at least 122 wrecked ships on its bottom.

Many of the wrecked ships date back to the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1276) dynasties, when China's trade with foreign countries was thriving.

Many speculators and local fishermen surveying the area have used crude means to retrieve underwater relics, prompting authorities to take action.

The protection of China's underwater relics faces "severe challenges" from rampant looting of underwater relics, the SACH said in the statement, adding that the country needs to improve its talent tool of archaeologists and related facilities.

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Seventeen sets of new 210kg SRD210B servo spot welding robot, independently developed by Shenyang SIA SUN Robot and Automation Co., Ltd. (SIASUN), were delivered to FAW Car Co. Ltd. recently, signaling that homemade robots have broken the technological blockage of overseas automobile production lines, and becoming the main force in China’s automobile production.

Researchers of SIASUN have overcome the difficulties in mechanical system optimal design and motion stability control of high-speed and heavy load industrial robots, and realized good overall reliability and sound human-computer interaction of the new 210kg SRD 210B servo point welding robot. In July this year, the new robot participated in the 2012 China International Robot Show in Shanghai, and became a spotlight among strong competitors from home and abroad.

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The first solar cell prototype (2cm*2cm) of Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer - Interdigitated back contact (HIT-IBC) in China was developed by the high-efficiency solar cell research group led by the professor JIA Rui in the Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMECAS).

Taking advantage of the advanced equipments for the semiconductor process fabrication, and the ability of developing advanced equipments, the high-efficiency intergitated back contact solar cells (IBCs) has been developed using self-made paste.

Based on this, the research group promoted the research proposal of novel HIT-IBC solar cells which combine the advantages of high open circuit voltage (Voc) from HIT structure and high short circuit current (Isc) from IBC structure. Therefore, the efficiency of silicon solar cells can be promoted greatly.

The HIT-IBC solar cell in IMECAS, which was fabricated on the N-type 4-inches wafer (different technical scheme was used for P-type wafer), was developed by using both the traditional solar cell technologies, such as screen printing, plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposited (PECVD) and photolithography, and the advanced fabrication technologies, such as novel passivation technology and heterojunction fabrication process.

The open-circuit voltage of this HIT-IBC solar cell can reach 658mV, because of HIT cell‘s high Open Circuit Voltage, which was obviously higher than the Voc of conventional silicon solar cells. At the same time, the research group is investigating the HIT-IBC solar cell based on P-type substrate.

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A new independent 4WD all-terrain EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) robot, which can conduct long distance observation, object carrying and disposal in field environment, was developed by Shenyang Institute of Automation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIA).

The new independent 4WD all-terrain EOD robot is the technological integration of computer, sensor, driving, remote communication and weapon control. It consists of robot body, control panel, accessory toolbox, carrying vehicle and stereo HMDs (head mounted displays), etc., and is used mainly in field environment, doing long-distance observation, objects carrying and disposal.

To some extent, it can replace human beings, so that the hazard faced by staff can be reduced. The EOD robot can work normally in no lower than minus 20 degree Celsius, and can move normally in weeds, gobi deserts, sands, firm ground and snow, etc.

Based on existing technological platform, SIA researchers made further improvement and escalation for the EOD robot according to users’ demands. The new operation system demonstrates higher flexibility, higher efficiency and higher reliability. Incorporating several accurate sensors, the robot’s integrated intelligent operation helmet is able to perform stereo video monitoring, head-eye tracking and hand-eye servo, etc.

The EOD robot is equipped with a master slave manipulator. Relying on the latest fly-the-head technology, the pose, location and speed of the end of the manipulator can be controlled directly by using 4 DOF (degree of freedom) snake-like flight rocker. Users need only to push the rocker at any direction or any rate to control the move of the robot. The manipulator can grasp object of 35kg when extended to its largest degree. The robot can reach IP55, with a fording height of 55cm.

The independent 4WD all-terrain EOD robot has gone through test recently and been delivered to the user.　

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escobar said:

China has mastered the manufacturing technology for directionally solidified and single crystal turbine blades:

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kroko said:

Does that mean that china now knows how to produce single crystal turbine blades?

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escobar said:

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t2contra said:

It is self-explanatory but too good to be true, isn't it?

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