Looking back | 37 years ago today, "Yegang No. 1" pioneered the field of industrial robots in China

37 years ago today (December 18, 1987) , China's first fully domestically produced robot "Yegang No. 1" was developed by Beijing Iron and Steel Institute (the predecessor of Beijing University of Science and Technology), creating a precedent in the field of industrial robots in China. Let's learn about its story together.

The birth of "Yegang No. 1"

In the 1970s, many research institutes in my country began to get involved in the field of robot research and development. At that time, China's technological level was far behind the world's advanced level, and independent research and development of large industrial robots faced many challenges.

In 1983, Yu Datai, who had just returned from studying robotics abroad, conducted extensive research on the current status of robotics research in China. From Northeast China to Shanghai, and then to Anhui, Yu Datai basically visited all the research institutions in China. He found that domestic robot research and development was mostly led by mechanical majors, but the key to the successful development of robots was the control system.

Yu Datai believes that the control system is the "brain" of the robot, which mainly involves software technology and cannot be mastered by dissecting a prototype. Therefore, he suggested setting up a robotics research institute at the Beijing Iron and Steel Institute, led by the Automation Department and the Mechanical Department, and inviting experts from multiple fields such as mechanics, mathematics, and physics to form a joint research team to jointly overcome the control system problems.

After countless failures and efforts, they finally developed a completely self-designed robot control system - the intelligent system. From the operating system to the application software, and then to the compilation system, this system completely got rid of foreign technical restrictions and blockades, giving Chinese robots a "Chinese brain" that can understand Chinese and work in accordance with the Chinese way of thinking.

On December 18, 1987, China's first fully domestically produced robot, "Yegang No. 1", was born, attracting widespread attention in China. After rigorous testing, experts confirmed that "Yegang No. 1" has achieved domestic production in hardware, software, vibration control, etc., and its technical indicators have reached the level of similar products in the world in the 1980s, filling China's technical gap in industrial robot control systems.

Inheriting the ambition to serve the country

Despite facing numerous difficulties, the scientific and technological workers still resolutely carried out the research and finally developed the "Yegang No. 1" robot. Behind this is the driving force of patriotic enthusiasm and the support of innovative spirit.

In order to carry forward the aspiration to serve the country, the University of Science and Technology Beijing officially established the "Robotics Engineering" major with the approval of the Ministry of Education in 2019. In September of the same year, 30 undergraduate students majoring in mechanical engineering were selected from the 2018 class to form the first robotics class .

In 2022, the weighted average score of graduates in this class reached 85.8 points, the rate of further study was as high as 86.7%, and the average number of awards per student in provincial and ministerial competitions or above was 2.5. The scholarship coverage rate was 83%, with a total amount of 210,000 yuan. 19 students participated in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the National Day, and the total volunteer work hours of the class exceeded 5,000 hours. They inherited the spirit of innovation and wrote their youthful struggle on the road to building a strong manufacturing country.

The future is bright

Robots are known as the "crown jewel of the manufacturing industry", symbolizing a country's advanced level in scientific and technological innovation and high-end manufacturing. In recent years, China's robot industry has experienced rapid development, and they have frequently appeared in major events such as the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the Zhuhai Air Show.

Robots are mainly divided into industrial robots, service robots and special robots. The Chinese market is dominated by industrial robots. Data shows that China's industrial robot installations currently account for more than 50% of the world's total, and the density of manufacturing robots has reached 470 units per 10,000 workers.

With the continuous advancement of robot technology, the application scenarios of "Robot+" are also expanding. In 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 17 other departments jointly issued the "Robot+" Application Action Implementation Plan", which proposed ten application scenarios, covering five major areas in the economic development field, including manufacturing, agriculture, construction, energy, and trade and logistics, as well as five major areas in the social livelihood field, including medical health, elderly care services, education, commercial community services, safety and emergency response, and extreme environment applications.

At the same time, humanoid robots with smart "brains" and flexible "limbs" are becoming the most futuristic new track in the field of robotics. China is also actively planning to promote the humanoid robot industry to seize the initiative and develop steadily.

As humans' right-hand men, robots are playing an increasingly important role. Let us look forward to the infinite excitement of the future.

References:

1. "University of Science and Technology Beijing" official account. Beijing University of Science and Technology, please come and listen!

2. “China University Students Network” public account. [Faith Journey] Our “Yegang No. 1” is amazing!

3. Beijing University of Science and Technology's "Practice Group of Practicing and Thinking Carefully" public account. Listen to the teachings and apply them | Excerpts from the interview with Professor Yu Datai

4. "Beijing University of Science and Technology" official account. 26 out of 30 students are pursuing further studies! 74 provincial and ministerial awards! What kind of magical class is this?

5. “CCTV News” official account. Chinese robots are mobilizing!

6. People's Daily. New quality productivity develops steadily - China's economic observation in 2024