A China-made 6000-meter submarine robot will set out for sea this month to carry out tasks of mineral resources exploration, as learned from Feng Xisheng, robot expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering at the first session of 10th CPPCC.
China successfully developed its first submarine robot "ROV" in 1986, which works under sea through cables and is chiefly used for oil exploration, production and rescue tasks, Feng said. Along with deepened studies China now boasts of many kinds of robots which can crawl or swim under the sea or stay on the surface. The nation's first-generation 1000-meter submarine robot "Explorer" was completed in 1994. The first set of 6000-meter robot was finished in 1995. The current one who is to set out this month is China's second set 6000-meter robot, which is technologically at the world advanced level.
(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2003)
