Published : 18/11/2025
Spherical robots that seems straight out of a science fiction film, robots that can accurately pick lychees, de-icing robots that can efficiently remove ice from cables... These robots with extraordinary professional skills are unlocking more possibilities in various industries in China.
Not only can they help humans complete dangerous tasks in specialised fields, but they are also improving work efficiency. Let's take a look at how these robots show their unique abilities!
Futuristic smart spherical robot: Assisting in patrol and security
The smart spherical robot in the picture above, which looks like it came out of a science fiction film, debuted this year at the stadium hosting the wildly popular "Suchao" (i.e., the Jiangsu City Football League) to assist with security patrols.
With a unique shape, it is designed according to specific tasks and requirements, and is classified as a "special purpose robot".
Regarding special purpose robots, as early as in the 14th Five-Year Plan for Robotics Industry Development in 2021, it was emphasised that the development and application of special purpose robot products should be promoted.
Nowadays, various types of special purpose robots are already being used in all walks of life, for example, security robots, robots for dangerous environment operations, and sanitation and epidemic prevention robots.
As a type of special purpose robot, this smart spherical robot mentioned above was developed by Zhejiang University (ZJU).
Although it weighs 160 kilograms, its motor performance is still outstanding, with a top speed of 35 km/h, and it can reach top speed within two seconds.
In terms of motion control, it can maintain balance while moving forward, move precisely according to the set route, and avoid obstacles.
It has functions such as security patrol, sonic dispersal, escort and tracking, and assist in arrest, and can also flexibly adapt to various practical scenarios.
During patrol work, this amphibious big black ball can reach many places that traditional patrol equipment cannot, due to its spherical design and flexible mobility.
It is worth noting that, in essence, it is an intelligent, mobile vehicle, which can not only be used for police patrols, but can also be fitted with different external equipment according to the needs in different scenarios. For example, if it is equipped with a loudspeaker at an airport, it can undertake bird-scaring tasks.
Not only is it versatile in function, but it can also adapt to harsh environments and complex terrains. It is capable of operating normally under hazardous conditions such as corrosive, radioactive, flammable and explosive environments.
De-icing robot efficiently: Cleaning ice on power lines
Specialised robots are not just spherical. They come in various shapes and sizes and are used in various professional fields, and the de-icing robot for power systems is one of them.
Why de-icing is necessary? In high-altitude cold regions, icing on transmission lines in winter can affect power transmission efficiency, cause short circuits, and even lead to equipment damage or collapse due to wind. Icing has always been a challenge for power systems.
In the past, manual de-icing at high altitudes posed significant safety risks and was inefficient. De-icing robots, on the other hand, have the advantages of high safety and efficiency, and can effectively solve problem of power line icing.
In recent years, the State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Corporation has used a combination of drone and de-icing robots to complete de-icing operations on ultra-high voltage transmission lines.
A heavy-lift drone uses a gripper to place the 9.9kg de-icing robot on the line. The robot then rapidly removes thick ice encasing the cable through methods such as vibrations from a front-mounted hammer and cutting with blades.
This de-icing robot can move smoothly uphill and downhill, overcome obstacles, and brake on the power lines, with the ability to also transmit image data in real time.
In just 15 minutes, the robot can eliminate all icing hazards on a 500-metre-long power line, and its maximum de-icing speed is 2 km/h.
Lychee-picking robots: Freeing farmers' hands
Not only in public service sectors such as security and emergency response, various robots with special skills are also good helpers in the agricultural sector.
Lychee picking has always been a stressful process for farmers. They often fail to pick lychee in time due to labour shortages and a short harvesting period.
Moreover, lychee is relatively small, easily obscured by branches and leaves, thus requiring specific picking techniques. Can smart robots replace manual picking and significantly increase efficiency?
The lychee-picking robot, developed by South China Agricultural University (SCAU), is equipped with a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm paired with a bionic flexible gripper.
The lychee-picking robot can harvest a cluster of lychees in as little as 10 seconds, with a daily capacity of up to 500 kilograms—equivalent to replacing two human workers.
Moreover, the robot's work efficiency is not affected by high temperatures and humidity, allowing it to work around the clock.
The lychee-picking robot not only harvests with precision and speed while capable of prolonged operation, but also achieves full automation. How exactly does it work automatically?
Firstly, an aerial inspection drone will send the coordinate data of mature fruit trees to the robot.
Secondly, the robot equipped with an automatic navigation device and obstacle avoidance system would autonomously move to the appropriate lychee trees location.
Next, it determines the ripeness of the lychees and decide whether to pick them, and place them in a designated fruit basket after picking.
Behind this autonomous decision-making process are artificial intelligence deep learning and extensive model training.
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First cotton laser topping robot in the world
Apart from the lychee orchards in south China, robots can also be found in the cotton fields in northwest region in China, which is cotton topping robots.
What is cotton topping? It is to break the apical dominance of the cotton plant, thereby concentrating nutrients to cotton bolls growing on the side branches in order to increase cotton yield.
With the development of robots, this farm work has also entered a high-tech era. Xinjiang University (XJU), in collaboration with Xinjiang Jimu Robot Technology Limited Company, has created the world's first cotton topping robot equipped with solid-state laser radar.
This robot takes the technology of cotton topping robot to new heights.
This cotton topping robot integrates sensors, machine vision, and laser control technology.
When moving, it can locate the tip of each cotton plant quickly and accurately, then use the high temperature instantly generated by a high-power blue laser to cauterise the top bud of the cotton plant.
Compared to traditional methods such as mechanical cutting and chemical topping, laser topping offers advantages like non-contact operation and minimal damage, significantly reducing harm to other parts of the cotton.
After multiple field tests, this robot has an identification accuracy of up to 98.9% for cotton top buds, a damage rate of less than 3%, and a topping success rate of over 82%. Its operational efficiency can reach about 1-1.3 acres per hour.
It can work day and night, making it more than 10 times as efficient as manual labour.
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In 2024, the market size of China's special-purpose robots reached 24.6 billion RMB, and is expected to reach 27.1 billion RMB in 2025.
According to industry analysts, special-purpose robots, through differentiated competition, can precisely meet the needs of specific fields and have enormous application potential.
The expanding consumer demand for special-purpose robots also provides a broad market space for industrial development.
As robot technology continues to mature, their application fields are constantly broadening, and their functions are becoming more powerful.
In the future, special-purpose robots are expected to be capable assistants for humans in solving complex and dangerous problems in various specific fields.
Read more: How do China's industrial robots accelerate smart manufacturing?