Small underwater robots competed in the grey-green waters off Zhuhai in south China\u2019s Guangdong Province as part of a real-sea challenge aimed at advancing marine technology and industry applications, Xinhua reported.<\/p>\n
The final round of the inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area marine underwater robot application challenge was held in an active marine ranch in the South China Sea, moving beyond laboratory testing into open-water conditions.<\/p>\n
By shifting the competition from controlled environments to the open sea, the event demonstrated how underwater robotics could help address persistent challenges in marine ranching and contribute to a more efficient ocean economy.<\/p>\n
Over two days in late March, 16 teams from across China tested their systems under real-world conditions, where currents, waves, and water turbidity posed significant operational difficulties.<\/p>\n
Participants were required to perform practical tasks commonly faced by marine ranch operators, including retrieving submerged mooring anchors, harvesting shellfish from the seabed, and removing biofouling from netting structures.<\/p>\n
Judges noted that the open-sea format encouraged the development of robots that are not just prototypes but are optimized for reliability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use, with potential for rapid commercialization.<\/p>\n
The competition also highlighted real operational challenges. In 2025, Typhoon Ragasa caused significant damage to Yuehe, a local fishery, resulting in the loss of more than 700 iron anchors on the seabed. Due to the high cost of human divers, most of the anchors remain unrecovered.<\/p>\n
Industry participants said several competing teams demonstrated strong autonomy and resistance to interference, capabilities considered essential for practical deployment in marine environments.<\/p>\n
Companies also pointed to commercial opportunities. An underwater cleaning robot manufacturer based in Shenzhen noted that such systems can operate continuously for 24 hours and achieve efficiency more than 10 times higher than traditional manual methods.<\/p>\n
In the inspection and monitoring category, a team from Westlake University won first prize by applying underwater embodied artificial intelligence integrated with large language models and multimodal perception systems. Researchers said the competition helped bridge the gap between academic algorithms and real-world industrial applications.<\/p>\n
Organizers had previously released a \u201clist of opportunities\u201d worth 150 million yuan, outlining practical needs such as net inspection, debris retrieval, and ecological monitoring. This was followed by over 100 million yuan in potential orders from 17 marine ranch developers in Guangdong, with several winning teams already signing preliminary agreements to operate in Zhuhai\u2019s Xiangzhou District.<\/p>\n
The event aligns with China\u2019s broader push to expand its marine and deep-sea technology sectors. The domestic underwater robotics market exceeded 10 billion yuan in 2024 and is projected to reach 40 billion yuan by 2027.<\/p>\n
In 2025, \u201cdeep-sea technology\u201d was identified as a strategic emerging industry in China\u2019s government work report.<\/p>\n
Zhuhai, a key coastal city with extensive maritime territory, has developed marine infrastructure including truss-type platforms and gravity net cages, and hosts dozens of innovation platforms and high-tech marine enterprises.<\/p>\n
Officials said the competition is expected to accelerate the integration of industry, academia, research, application, and finance, while supporting Zhuhai\u2019s development as a regional marine innovation hub.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Small underwater robots competed in the grey-green waters off Zhuhai in south China\u2019s Guangdong Province as part of a real-sea challenge aimed at advancing marine technology and industry applications, Xinhua reported. The final round of the inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area marine underwater robot application challenge was held in an active marine ranch in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":73402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,17],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[213],"class_list":{"0":"post-73401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n