China’s robotics industry is quietly cornering a new niche – and shipyards stand to gain
As shipyards face rising safety demands and an ageing workforce, specialised climbing robots could be set to transform dangerous maintenance work
After conquering the sky and land, China’s robotics industry is quietly building momentum in a niche segment: high-altitude operation solutions.
RobotPlusPlus, a Zhejiang-based robotics supplier, has made headway into the market with its flagship global offering – an autonomous climbing robot designed for ship hull cleaning and descaling. The robot was considered safer than manual labour, the company said – and could extend a vessel’s service life.
According to RobotPlusPlus, its flagship system was capable of covering more than 98 per cent of a vessel’s hull. Compared with manual methods, the robot increased cleaning efficiency fivefold while cutting costs by 30 per cent to 50 per cent, the company reported.
Ships of 100,000 deadweight tonnes and above typically stand more than 21 metres (68.9 feet) high – about the height of a seven-storey building – and stretch about 250 metres (820 feet) in length.
“What’s left for us is the working-at-height segment, which boasts substantial market demand yet lacks mature products,” Xu said.