Nod head, wave hand, say hi, communicate with visitors in Chinese and provide them with necessary services -- he seems to be capable of doing almost everything a receptionist could do. But instead, he is an intelligent robot.

The Siasun robot [file photo]

The human-shaped robot will soon have a job at the administrative examination and approval service center in Shenyang, the capital of the northeastern Liaoning Province, providing investors with help to get their business-related documents.

Thus, Shenyang is set to become the first Chinese city to employ a robot receptionist, armed with state-of-the-art technologies.

Measuring 1.6 meters high and weighing 50 kg, the robot's main equipment includes six sets of sonar, one microphone, two LED lights, two driving wheels and a directive wheel.

These key parts enable him to walk freely in designated areas, bypass hurdles automatically, receive remote control signals and speak with humans.

The robot also has a Li-ion battery. This allows him to walk and work for about 10 consecutive hours after two to three hours of charging.

He also carries an LCD on his chest, which allows visitors to touch buttons on his screen and learn concerned procedures.

With answers set in advance, the robot is able to answer simple questions from visitors. Likewise, visitors are allowed to lodge a complaint through him if they feel they were badly received.

Qu Daokui, chief executive officer of Shenyang Siasun Robot and Automation Co., Ltd., the company that produced the technology, told Xinhua the smart robot would be working to bring more convenience for visitors and improve the service center's efficiency.

The robot is the latest version of a series of smart service-providing robots developed by Siasun. The company was established in 2000 and is the first Chinese robot maker with proprietary intellectual property rights.

The company was also affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and named after father of China's robotic technology Jiang Xinsong.

According to Qu, Siasun has been market-oriented since its establishment and has so far designed and developed over 30 series of robots for industrial production, including a batch of automatic guided vehicles, or AGV robots.

These AGV robots have been widely applied onto production lines in some of the largest car makers in China, including China FAW Group Corporation and Chery Automobile Company.

Qu added Siasun had won a contract with U.S. giant General Motors to supply AGV robots to its three newly-built manufacturing bases.

Apart from the United States, Siasun has exported its robots to other markets such as Italy, Mexico, India and Russia.

Qu added his company was poised to produce and sell no less than 800 robots this year, worth over one billion yuan (about 144 million US dollars).

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2008)