Breakthrough tech seen at Shanghai fair

Frontier and pioneering technologies are being highlighted at the three-day 11th China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair, which kicked off on Wednesday.

The world's first fully absorbable occluder used for congenital heart disease, which has been developed by LEPU ScienTech Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, is among the innovations on show.

According to LEPU's marketing director Chen Sijia, the product is a leapfrog from metal occluder to absorbable materials. This addresses the problem of allergy to metal among certain patients.

The occluder can be completely absorbed within six months to a year. Priced at around 80,000 yuan ($11,132), this product has already reached overseas patients via China's Belt and Road Initiative. LEPU will also expand the research and development of absorbable materials to more products, she said.

Shanghai-based Cloudpick Technology demonstrated at the CSITF systems for cashier-less stores and unmanned warehouses. By using visual algorithms based on artificial intelligence, edge computing, cloud storage and multiple sensors, the system can detect the face or identity upon the person's entry into the monitored area and identify the products or goods he examines after his departure.

This technology is popular in the retail industry or goods management sector, said Fan Qifeng, Cloudpick's marketing director.

A traditional convenience store requires at least three staff members for round-the-clock operation. This system can allow the retailer to open three to four stores in a community by hiring only one person to refill products. More important, the system can provide more insights to retailers as it can track the consumer's action trajectory in the store, which is kept confidential, he said.

The company has already reached cooperation agreements with nearly 3,000 retailers and warehouses world wide, said Fan.

Cloudpick was present at the consumption and commercial technology sector of the CSITF, a themed exhibition that has been introduced to the 11-year-old fair for the first time.

By demonstrating various new integrated business scenarios and disruptive technologies, this themed exhibition has been set up to facilitate China's efforts to boost consumption, said Zhou Lan, deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Also inaugurated at this year's fair is an area showcasing smart ocean products and equipment, covering deep-sea exploration, offshore wind power and green shipping. This addresses China's maritime power strategy and helps consolidate Shanghai's role as an international shipping center, said Zhou.

Covering 35,000 square meters, the 11th CSITF has attracted participation from nearly 1,000 domestic and overseas companies, among which 14 will debut their new technologies and products at the fair.

Shanghai Longwood Biopharma is showcasing at the fair the world's first dual-function and dual-target new drug for a complete hepatitis B cure. State key laboratory of advanced fiber materials at Shanghai-based Donghua University debuted its independently developed "lunar soil fiber" technology and equipment, which can convert lunar soil into high-performance fiber materials.

For the very first time, a special job fair for technology talents was added to this year's CSITF. Companies specializing in new quality productive forces will provide more than 200 job opportunities at the event.

Data from the municipal government showed that the value of technology import and export contracts inked in Shanghai last year surged 17.7 percent year-on-year to exceed $21.3 billion, hitting a record and overtaking all the other Chinese cities under this gauge. Up to 591 multinational companies had set up their regional R&D centers in the city by the end of last year.