2018 National Science Week brings high-tech to citizens

China’s 2018 National Science Week kicked off on Saturday with its main session in Beijing attracting a crowd of tech enthusiasts, especially young people who show a great interest in some of the latest applications.

The exhibition held in Beijing Military Museum – a choice that reflects a focus on “military-civilian integration in sci-tech industry” – covers an area of 11,500 square meters with over 460 items. Among all, several sections are particularly appealing.

A peek at 2022 Winter Olympics stadium

A 1:120 scale model of the National Speed Skating Oval for 2022 Winter Olympic Games caught the eyes of many for its simple and clean outlook.

But what truly matters is the innovation behind the design. The external wall of the oval is made up of 22 “ice ribbons” that are formed by thousands of pieces of single-curved glass and plate glass. Full-locked coil cables made of vanadium alloy which is less prone to corrosion makes it more durable.

The construction of the National Speed Skating Oval will be finished by the end of 2019. The multi-sports venue for events, including ice hockey, curling and short track speed skating, will hold test competitions in 2020. After the Winter Olympics in 2022, the venue will be used as a public gymnasium like the National Swimming Center.

Robotic endoscopic capsule

“Internet+medical” is one of the main themes of the exhibition area. A booth which presented a robotic capsule was frequently visited by attendees.

Developed for gastroscopy, the five-gram robotic endoscopic capsule is 27 millimeters in length and 12 millimeters in diameter, just like normal capsules. Made of polymer medical materials, the capsule can be used on people from four to 97 years old.

The tiny machine consists of more than 300 high precision components include camera, sensor and battery. When used for examination, the capsule can do five types of movements – front and back, left and right, up and down, and horizontal and vertical moves – based on engineer’s operation.

During the 15-minute painless examination, nearly 20,000 pictures will be taken by the capsule. After analysis by an internal artificial intelligence system, a package of medical images will be sent to doctors for identifying lesion locations inside the patient’s intestines and stomach.

VR and AR help explain hard technology 

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are used to better explain the technology of aerospace and navigation to attendees during the event.

Through a pair of AR glasses, Gao Yixuan was able to see the assembly and launch process of the Long March 2F carrier rocket.

“I came here to learn more about rocket and aircraft,” said the fifth grader. “I could see how the rocket got assembled step by step.”

China’s deep-sea manned submersible “Deep-sea Warrior” is presented through VR glasses.

“I could see the internal structure of the submersible, which gave me a better understanding of how it works in the ocean,” said Li Yanxiong, a teacher from Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, who attended with his students.

“(VR and AR) help popularize technology to citizens,” Yu Hui, from the China Manned Space Engineering Office, told ST Daily.

Besides the main session in Beijing, similar science and technology events are held across the country durin National Science Week.

(Cover photo via VCG)