Exclusive Interview with Professor Ji Aihong, PhD Supervisor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics: We Have Entered the "Age of Robots"
In many movies, TV shows, and science fiction novels, robots seem to be all-capable. They appear in various fields of human life and are quietly changing the world. So when human society enters the age of robots, what can humans themselves still do? Nanjing Innovation Investment Group has invited Professor Ji Aihong, a doctoral supervisor from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, to interpret this brand-new technological revolution of robots and artificial intelligence based on his long-term professional experience and expert perspective.
Ji Aihong, PhD, is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), and a visiting scholar at Konkuk University in South Korea. He graduated from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Professor Ji Aihong’s main research directions focus on robots, intelligent equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). He has led projects under the National Key R&D Program, initiated projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, provincial key R&D programs, pre-research projects for the Army’s equipment, and innovation zone projects of the Science and Technology Commission of the Central Military Commission, covering both national and provincial-ministerial levels. He has published over 100 papers indexed in SCI/EI, authored 2 monographs, co-authored another 2 monographs, and obtained more than 30 authorized invention patents. His academic achievements have earned him honors including the Second Prize of Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Award, the Second Prize of the Ministry of Education’s Natural Science Award, the Second Prize of the Ministry of Education’s Technological Invention Award, and the Gold Medal at the 39th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions. He has also been selected into the Nanjing Leading Technological Entrepreneurship Talent Introduction Program and the Third-level Training Object of Jiangsu Province’s "333 Project".
How far is today’s society from the "Age of Robots"?
The "Age of Robots" may seem distant, but in fact, we have already entered it. For example, smart home devices and appliances free us from tedious housework—we can control TVs, air conditioners, curtains, and robot vacuum cleaners with voice commands. As autonomous driving technology matures, some automakers have launched self-driving cars; although they are still in the verification phase, they will be marketed in the near future. Additionally, social service robots such as food delivery robots, reception robots, early education robots, and car wash robots have greatly facilitated our daily lives. In short, while we cannot fully realize the "Age of Robots" depicted in movies, robots have been widely applied in our lives and provide us with immense convenience.
What is the significance of robots to humans, and what are their application fields?
As a crystallization of human wisdom, robots also represent the most advanced level of human technology. They can help humans complete dangerous, repetitive, and tedious tasks, improve work efficiency, and enhance human capabilities.
Robots are widely used in various fields:
Medical field: Surgical robots, rehabilitation robots, endoscopic robots, exoskeleton robots, medical robots, and nursing robots assist medical staff in better performing diagnosis, treatment, and care.
Service field: Service robots such as robot vacuum cleaners, educational robots, reception robots, and food delivery robots replace humans in simple and tedious service work.
Agricultural field: Picking robots, spraying robots, and mowing robots help with tasks like harvesting, sowing, watering, and pest control.
Industrial field: Welding robots, handling robots, mobile robots, and laser processing robots improve the quality and efficiency of industrial processing.
Military field: Ground military robots, military UAVs, underwater military robots, and space military robots expand soldiers’ combat capabilities and play a crucial role in warfare.
How is China cultivating its talent reserve in this field?
China attaches great importance to the education and cultivation of robot-related talents, with relevant courses offered from primary and secondary schools to universities.
In primary and secondary schools: Robot-related content is included in information technology courses, and practical education is mainly conducted through participation in various robot interest classes and competitions.
In higher education for robotics: 37 domestic universities have established disciplines in intelligent science, 7 universities have set up robot colleges, and more than 60 universities offer robot-related majors. In addition, a complete robot curriculum system has been built, including public electives, professional electives, and required professional courses at different levels. This system cultivates students’ basic theoretical knowledge and research literacy, and hones their ability to solve practical problems hands-on.
At this stage, what level has China reached in robot R&D? What problems has it encountered, and how were they addressed?
After decades of rapid development, the performance of some domestically produced robots has reached international standards, and China has become a major engine driving the growth of the global robot industry. Since 2013, China has been the world’s largest consumer of industrial robots for five consecutive years. In the past five years, the average annual compound growth rate of China’s robot market size has reached 22%.
Core components of robots—such as reducers, servo motors, drivers, and controllers—are "choked" by foreign countries, seriously restricting the development of China’s robot technology.
Safety issues in robot development: How to ensure the safety of robots under real-time online control?
Lack of industry standards, leading to uneven product quality. The absence of domestic standards for product functional certification results in a mix of high and low-quality products on the market.
The state has successively issued policies to promote the development of the robot industry, organized relevant scientific research institutions to carry out technological research, increased investment in scientific research, and gradually realized the localization of core robot components while reducing costs.
Established robot safety assessment and application mechanisms: Assess potential safety risks during robot operation, and set up a response mechanism for robot safety issues to ensure safe use.
Led by the state, with the participation of leading enterprises in the industry, and based on the current situation of the domestic market, formulated robot industry standards applicable to China to guide the healthy development of various segments of the robot industry.
Some robot products have begun to test market response. Where there is a market, there is capital. What does capital investment mean for this scientific research field?
Capital investment can be said to be a double-edged sword for the development of the robot industry.
Positive side: Under the current socio-economic conditions, science and technology are the primary productive forces and a key factor in creating social wealth. Technological innovation—whether original innovation or integrated innovation—requires substantial financial support. Moreover, the role of capital investment in promoting technological innovation is obvious to all: it provides scientists and engineers with greater room for trial and error, enabling further improvement of core technologies and competitiveness.
Negative side: While accelerating technology transformation and advancing application depth, capital investment inevitably brings some negative impacts. A large influx of capital may disrupt the originally orderly R&D market—for example, causing frequent mobility of researchers, which makes it difficult to sustain research on key projects.
What are the future research directions for robots? What specific areas are you currently researching?
Robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI): With the development of AI technology in the new century, the intelligence level of robots is constantly improving. Coupled with the advancement of big data and high-level communication technologies, the field of intelligent robots is expanding. Examples include sensitive tactile technology (robot "skin"), emotion recognition technology (robot "psychology"), and autonomous driving technology (robot driving).
Special Robots: Mainly referring to robots applied in professional fields or special environments, such as medical robots, military robots, agricultural robots, and nuclear industry robots.
Large-scale Application under Smart Manufacturing System Integration: Currently, robot applications in smart manufacturing are concentrated on individual links rather than the overall production process. The integration and collaborative scheduling of large-scale robots are undoubtedly crucial areas—for instance, robot cloud service technology and multi-robot system communication technology.
Human-Robot Collaboration Technology: With technological development, relying solely on robots is impractical; human-robot collaboration is currently the best option. Examples include myoelectric control technology and brain-computer interface technology.
Mechanics, dynamics, and control of intelligent bionic robots; sports biomechanics and its testing technology; mechanical bionic principles and design; teleoperation motion control of master-slave robots; and medical robots.
What impact will the emergence of medical robots have on the medical industry?
First, the clinical application of surgical robots enables minimally invasive surgery, which significantly reduces the surgical wound and lowers the risk of post-operative infection. High-precision surgical robots can be used in delicate operations such as blood vessel suturing and tissue separation, improving the success rate of surgeries.
Second, with the further maturity of 5G technology, experts can perform remote surgical treatment using medical robots across regions. This helps improve the current uneven distribution of medical resources. Meanwhile, remote surgical robots can greatly reduce the risk of cross-infection between doctors and patients during epidemics.
Third, auxiliary robots and service robots that assist medical staff in logistics, drug distribution, blood collection, and endoscopic examinations will largely reduce the workload of medical staff. They also bring greater professionalism and standardization, improving the overall operational efficiency of hospitals.
How safe are robots?
Safety is a prerequisite for the wide application of robots. For industrial robots, which have been applied for a long time and in relatively fixed scenarios, a comprehensive and mature safety standard system has been established. However, in the field of service robots, countries around the world lack corresponding safety standards. Service robots need to interact with humans during operation; due to the social nature of human behavior, various complex situations may arise. Only through extensive learning and the establishment of larger databases can robots adapt to various environments and scenarios, thereby improving their safety.
Source: Ji Aihong, Administrative Management Department
Reviewer: Xue Yao
Publisher: You Yi
