Considering the current state and development trends of robots both domestically and internationally, and after carefully studying the opinions of many experts, I would like to offer my humble opinion on the strategies for developing robots (especially intelligent robots) in China, for discussion and reference. 1. Further Correcting the Understanding of Robot Development In the mid-1980s, after heated discussions, some consensus was reached regarding whether China needed to develop robot technology. More than a decade later, the current state of robot technology development in China is unsatisfactory. Although a large number of significant achievements have been made, narrowing the gap with international advanced levels, a large-scale robot industry has still not been formed. Robot production, installed units, and market demand remain insignificant internationally, lagging far behind advanced industrialized countries. This situation cannot but prompt us to reflect: Does China not need robots now, or is China currently unable to develop robots? Is it due to insufficient understanding, insufficient investment, or insufficient effort? If we have a correct understanding of developing robotics (including intelligent robots) technology, then we must address the following issues: clear development goals, strategic support policies, correct implementation plans and rigorous management measures, sufficient incentives, and a democratic and fair scientific environment to maximize the enthusiasm and creativity of researchers. Admittedly, my country has a large population and a plentiful yet inexpensive labor force, a national condition different from that of Japan and the United States. my country's national strength is also not yet comparable to that of Japan and the United States. Therefore, we cannot simply copy foreign experiences in developing robotics technology; instead, we must explore a path for developing robotics technology in my country, taking into account our own characteristics. However, a large population and the development of robotics technology are not inherently contradictory; the question lies in how to do it. At the same time, foreign practices cannot be copied verbatim, nor can they be rejected outright. Feasible practices are still worth learning from. It is likely that few people now oppose developing robotics technology in my country. However, opinions differ on whether it should be done on a small scale, a large scale, or a medium scale. It seems that small-scale development cannot keep up with the demands of the situation and the needs of construction, while large-scale development lacks the necessary conditions and resources. Therefore, based on the existing foundation, further liberating our thinking and formulating a proactive and feasible industrialization plan for robots is imperative. 2. Parallel Development of Industrial Robots and Special-Purpose Robots China has already established a preliminary foundation for industrial robots and has formed a certain production capacity. Further development should be coordinated in the future. Industrial robots and special-purpose robots should be developed in parallel, with the development of special-purpose robots as one of the main focuses for a period of time. We can select a number of urgently needed application projects from the application examples mentioned earlier, list them for development, and formulate five-year, ten-year, and twenty-year development plans to ensure the sustainable development of China's robot technology and industry. Develop advanced robots for hazardous environments to replace workers in heavy, dirty, and dangerous work, such as in environments with high temperatures, high pressures, toxic substances, explosives, foul odors, radioactivity, and high dust, as well as heavy tasks such as handling, loading and unloading, and cleaning. Develop nursing robots to serve patients, provide assistance to millions of disabled people, alleviate their suffering, improve their self-care abilities, and even enable them to return to work. Develop surgical robots and diagnostic robots (such as microrobots) for treating some internal medicine diseases. Develop service robots to perform tasks such as guiding, entertainment (singing and dancing), hospitality, sales, sweeping, and washing, improving the quality of human life. Develop underwater robots and seabed mining robots to contribute to the development of the marine engineering and mining industry. In addition, the following robots can be developed: ground construction and civil engineering robots, equipment inspection and maintenance robots, firefighting and rescue robots, and agricultural and forestry/fishery product processing robots. These development areas are all things we need to do now and can begin to do, and can be carried out comprehensively. 3. Cultivating and Expanding the Domestic Robot Market Although China's current robot market is not large, its potential market is huge. The automotive, construction machinery, electronics, electrical machinery, and metal processing industries are still the main sectors using robots. In these sectors, the number of installed robots is far from meeting actual needs, indicating a large market. The robot market is also large in new fields such as construction, packaging, space, marine, mining (including seabed mining), power, agriculture and forestry, and medicine. If successful, these applications will be relatively easy to promote and apply. Expanding the application areas of robots is one of the necessary measures to develop the domestic robot market. Another important measure is to introduce preferential policies to support the robot industry. These policies include those related to the construction of new production lines and the upgrading of old equipment, which have not yet received sufficient attention and adoption from relevant departments. If we can learn from successful international experiences and introduce supportive policies to encourage the use of robots in harsh working conditions, new production lines, and the upgrading of old equipment and processes, the environment for the promotion and application of robots will be much more favorable. To develop the domestic robot market, in addition to holding various robot exhibitions and seminars to promote technology and policies, we should also carry out several representative robot demonstration projects to truly play a guiding and demonstrative role. This is the essence of "seeing is believing." It is worth noting that some large international robot manufacturers, such as ABB, Yaskawa, FANUC, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and companies producing robot-related components and parts, have all set their sights on the Chinese market and are "entering" China. After my country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) this year, the domestic robot market will face even greater challenges from foreign robot manufacturers. Therefore, we must study this issue, seize the opportunities, meet the challenges, and promote development. 4. Establish a Robotics Industry Group to Achieve Large-Scale Production Building upon existing robotics research and production facilities, we should plan, regulate, and optimize their integration to establish a China Robotics Industry Group and robotics engineering companies, forming a complete system encompassing production, supply, sales, application, and maintenance. China should select industrially developed, easily accessible, and technologically advanced regions to focus on supporting units with advantages in robot development and production. Several robotics engineering companies should be established to engage in the mass production of industrial robots and the implementation of robot application projects, thus driving China's robot production and application towards industrialization and conglomeration. The widespread application of industrial robots and the significant increase in the number of installed industrial robots will undoubtedly lay a solid material foundation for the development of intelligent robots in China. Simultaneously, the research results already achieved in intelligent robots should be quickly transformed into productivity, providing the robotics industry group with new technologies, equipment, and methods. The development of industrial robots and intelligent robots should be mutually reinforcing, not contradictory. With the passage of time and technological advancements, intelligent robot technology will become the primary technology that the robotics industry group focuses on and develops. 5. Develop International Technological Cooperation The development of any high technology should, as far as possible, involve international collaborative research and industrial technology cooperation, rather than adopting a "closed-door" approach. Robotics technology can only achieve greater and faster development through international technological cooperation. China's accession to the WTO has provided new opportunities for international cooperation in robotics technology. Through international cooperation, we can improve China's ability to develop and produce robots and their systems, enhance the performance and reliability of domestically produced robots, reduce production costs and sales prices, establish a Chinese robotics industry with international standards, and allow high-performance, low-cost domestically produced robots to dominate the domestic market. Without this, the performance and reliability of domestically produced robots will be difficult to guarantee, and the current domestic robot market will be dominated by foreign robot companies. In addition to establishing cooperative research plans with foreign government departments and research organizations, it is even more important to find industrial partners, establish Sino-foreign joint venture robotics companies in China, and allow high-quality robots produced in China to be sold in the international market and participate in international market competition. When conducting international technological cooperation and exchanges, we must pay attention to introducing technology and capital, and never simply import robots. Or, to be more specific, we must not turn international technological cooperation into merely selling foreign robot products in China. Focusing solely on sales is tantamount to handing over the Chinese robot market to foreign companies, which is unacceptable. From a market perspective, to gain a foothold in the international robot field, it is essential to organically combine domestic demand with an international perspective, competing with foreign robot manufacturers for the domestic market. In a sense, capturing the domestic market is equivalent to capturing the international market. Furthermore, based on a strong domestic market presence, we should select high-quality projects, products, or technologies to enter the international market, participate in international competition, and directly secure a place in the international market. From a technological perspective, under the trend of economic and technological globalization, we should utilize all available advanced foreign technologies, without blindly copying what foreign countries do. Simultaneously, we must enhance the technological content of our products' independent innovation components and create technologically innovative products with intellectual property rights. Otherwise, it will be difficult to capture the market. 6. Rationally Selecting Strategic Focus In developing robot technology, we must also be selective in our approach. Products with a market and technologies with independent innovation are what we should develop. In terms of target selection, on the one hand, we should consider the international robot market and technological development trends; on the other hand, we should consider the needs of national economic construction and social development, especially the technological transformation of state-owned enterprises, the needs of agriculture, energy, transportation and other industries, as well as infrastructure and urbanization construction, and improving the quality of life of the people. Specific targets include the following two aspects: (1) Robot products and application engineering ① In industries closely related to people's lives, such as household appliances, electronics, and automobiles, and in the fields of welding, assembly, and packaging, as long as there is actual need and high technical content, we should actively develop robot application engineering, and also select several large application engineering projects with industry influence and field demonstration from the perspective of national behavior. ② Closely combine with the technological transformation of enterprises, and according to user requirements, develop robotized automatic production systems in manufacturing units, peripheral equipment and logistics. ③ On the existing basis, according to demand, actively promote the entry of shallow and deep-sea underwater robots into the international market. ④ Contribute to economic construction and social development through the application of agricultural and food processing robots, cleaning robots, fire fighting robots, entertainment robots, medical robots and other aspects. ⑤ Expand the user base and take underground robots and ground robots as the main content of engineering machinery robotization. Through key demonstrations, gradually realize practical application and commercialization. (2) Research on key technologies and cutting-edge technologies of robots The selection of research content on key technologies and cutting-edge technologies of robots should follow the following two principles: ① Drive technology research with product development and engineering application; ② Drive single technology research with system technology research, including multi-agent coordinated control, virtual robots, micro robots, network robots, human-robot coexistence and system reconfigurability, etc. 7. Pay attention to basic research and increase technology reserves China has made remarkable achievements in basic research and applied basic research on robot technology. It has accumulated many important technologies for the development of industrial robots and intelligent robots and tracked international advanced robot technologies. We need to continue to track and, at the same time, pay more attention to independent innovation, establish intellectual property rights, and strive to truly reach the international advanced level or international leading level in some projects. In order to increase technology reserves, it is particularly necessary to strengthen basic research on robotics and pay attention to the development of basic components. There are many issues in this area that need to be researched and resolved. The guidelines for the 863 Program's intelligent robot-themed research projects and the application guidelines for the National Natural Science Foundation of China's high-tech projects have provided relatively comprehensive introductions. A new high-tech robot program is also in the works and is expected to be released soon. 8. Stabilizing and Expanding the Research and Development Team Developing China's robot technology relies on three things: policy, investment, and a strong team and talent. Science and technology are the primary productive forces, and talent is the most active and important factor in this productive force. We have already cultivated a large number of talents engaged in robot technology research, development, production, and application. From a developmental perspective, this team is not yet large or strong enough and needs further training and expansion. Maintaining the relative stability of the robot research and development team is crucial, allowing their intelligence and talent to serve the development of China's robot industry. We also need to formulate necessary policies to attract overseas returnees with expertise in robot technology to serve the country. Necessary training should be provided to technical personnel and operators in robot-using units to ensure they are proficient in relevant robot technologies and to guarantee the normal operation of robots and their systems. The stability of this team is also indispensable. How to develop my country's robotics technology, especially intelligent robotics technology, requires continued research and serious discussion from relevant government departments and the vast number of scientific and technological personnel engaged in robotics work. The strategies for developing my country's robotics technology proposed above reflect the opinions of some scientific and technological personnel to a certain extent and within a certain scope, and can be used for further discussion and decision-making reference. These opinions include: further liberating thinking, pooling wisdom, correcting understanding, and reaching a consensus on the strategy for developing robotics; developing industrial robots and special-purpose robots in parallel, with the development of special-purpose robots as one of the main focuses for a period; expanding the application fields of robots, introducing policies to support the robotics industry, and striving to cultivate and expand the domestic robot market; establishing robotics industry groups to achieve large-scale production and realize a one-stop service from production to sales to application to repair; seeking partners, carrying out international technical cooperation, establishing Sino-foreign joint venture robotics companies, and allowing domestically produced robot products to enter the international market and participate in international market competition; further strengthening basic research and basic component development, continuing to track international advanced technologies, and increasing the reserve of advanced robotics technologies; stabilizing and expanding the robotics research and development team, fully mobilizing their enthusiasm and creativity, and allowing their intelligence and talents to better serve the development of my country's robotics industry. As long as we recognize the current situation and development direction, set clear development goals, and formulate and implement proactive and feasible development strategies, then China's robotics industry will surely have a brilliant future. To bring this day to an early end, the vast number of robotics workers shoulder a glorious yet arduous mission. Let us work together to live up to the expectations of our motherland and our times. In the 21st century, Chinese robotics will undoubtedly occupy an important place in the world and become a pivotal partner in the international robotics community.