"Giant pandas" performing somersaults, robotic dogs clearing obstacles, and humanoid robots dancing in formation. From Sept. 26 to 27, a ser ies of events themed "Symbiosis of Digital Intelligence and Joint Development of Universities and Localities", focusing on the integrated and innovative development of robotics and artificial intelligence in science and industry, was held at the Shahe Campus of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC).

As a highlight of the celebrations for UESTC's 70th anniversary and the Second Alumni Culture Festival, the event was co-hosted by UESTC and the People's Government of Chenghua District, Chengdu. It comprised two main parts: an offline robot exhibition and a conference on the integrated development of science and industry, comprehensively showcasing the cutting-edge appeal of artificial intelligence and embodied intelligence.

DQuadruped robot clears obstacle

Exhibition Site: Mecha "Giant Pandas" and Remote-Controlled Robotic Arms Debut as Multi-Scenario Robots Gather

From Sept. 26 to 27, the robot exhibition was open to the public free of charge, attracting nearly 30 leading domestic and international robotics companies, alumni enterprises, and local businesses from Chenghua District. The exhibited robots covered multiple fields, including industrial manufacturing, healthcare and elderly care, daily life services, and embodied intelligence.

The undisputed star of the show was a quadruped robot clad in a "giant panda skin". With its round, endearing appearance, it nimbly performed running, jumping, upright walking, and backflips. Its combination of a cute exterior and agile movements made it the focal point of the venue. On the obstacle course, a wheeled-legged robotic dog steadily navigated steps, narrow paths, and sandy terrain; it maintained stable forward motion even with a person riding on its back, demonstrating exceptional adaptability to various environments.

Children interact with a "giant panda" robot

The interactive experience zone was filled with fun, drawing a long queue in front of a robotic gripper arm. Children holding controllers operated the arm from several meters away, watching as it precisely replicated their joystick movements to steadily grab bottled chips from the table, resembling a real-life "Gundam". Many other types of robots have already found mature application scenarios: a 3D printing robot quickly produced an intricately detailed figurine of the Monkey King; an intelligent yard robot can autonomously mow lawns and dive into swimming pools for cleaning; and pharmacy robots can retrieve medicines, stock shelves, and check drug expiration dates.

In addition, special performances were held in rotation, including street dance shows by humanoid robots, runway walks by quadruped robots, and lion dances performed by humanoid robots wearing "lion heads", drawing many citizens to stop and watch.

Expert Insights: Specialists Detail Development Paths for Embodied Intelligence as Industry Representatives Assess New AI Opportunities

On the morning of Sept. 27, the Conference on Integrated and Innovative Development of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Science and Industry was held concurrently at the Academic Exchange Center. Experts and industry representatives shared cutting-edge insights into the embodied robotics and AI industries, discussing development opportunities for Sichuan Province and UESTC.

"Only robots driven by large AI models constitute true embodied intelligence," stated Wang Yaonan, Director of the National Engineering Research Center for Robot Visual Perception and Control Technology and Professor at Hunan University, in his keynote report titled "Embodied Intelligence and the Development of the Robotics Industry".

He noted that while artificial intelligence was previously confined to digital virtual spaces, embodied intelligence equips AI with a "physical body", achieving a complete closed loop of perception, decision-making, and action. He suggested that by overcoming core technologies such as hardware bodies, perception systems, and cognitive decision-making, and promoting the deep integration of large models, robots, and control systems, stakeholders can leverage university-industry collaboration to improve the ecosystem, accelerating the transition of embodied intelligence from technological demonstrations to engineering implementation.

Children line up to experience a remote-controlled robotic gripper

"The year 2026 will mark the beginning of the AI inference era, as the industry shifts from the 'training era' to the 'inference era'," said Zheng Wenxian, a UESTC alumnus and Deputy General Manager of Intellifusion, during his presentation themed "Insights into AI: Embracing the Future Together". Sharing frontline industry observations, he noted that token usage has seen exponential growth this year, and computing power structures are shifting from training-dominated to inference-dominated. Coupled with localization opportunities, domestic AI chip companies have promising prospects. He believes that Chengdu holds four major advantages: talent and technology, industrial chains, application scenarios, and a university-locality ecosystem. Through deep coordination involving enterprises driving demand, universities tackling technological challenges, and the government building the ecosystem, Chengdu and the broader western region can promote high-quality development in the AI and robotics industries.

Robots don "lion heads" to perform a lion dance

Furthermore, the conference saw the release of UESTC's list of scientific and technological achievements in "Robotics + Artificial Intelligence" and Chenghua District's Urban Opportunity List. Pi Yiming, Dean of the UESTC Industrial Technology Research Institute, introduced the commercialization and application of these technological achievements, while Su Wei, Head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Chenghua District Committee, delivered a special promotion for Chenghua District, jointly injecting new momentum into the regional development of the AI and robotics industries.

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