China develops its first exoskeleton robot for mine emergency rescue. | Special English

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China has successfully created its first exoskeleton robot system specifically designed for complex mine environments, marking a significant step toward human-machine collaborative rescue operations.

According to China Energy Investment Corporation, The system is now undergoing industrial testing and has completed three rounds of practical training validation with a national mine rescue team, demonstrating excellent adaptability and stability in underground conditions.

The project was initiated in 2025 by Shendong Coal Group of China Energy Investment Corporation in partnership with the China Coal Research Institute, aiming to address critical challenges in mine disaster response, including limited equipment, intelligence and constrained individual rescue capabilities.

The robot features an innovative rigid, flexible coupling structural design, integrating upper and lower limb power assist modules with an embedded multi-sensor system and AI controller.

This configuration enables efficient human-machine collaboration in underground operations.

Key technical specifications include over six hours of continuous operation, movement recognition accuracy exceeding 95 and a maximum load capacity of 80 kilograms for carrying and dragging.

The system reduces human metabolic energy consumption by approximately 20, significantly enhancing rescue personnel's endurance.

Beyond emergency rescue applications, The exoskeleton shows promise for high-intensity mining tasks, such as underground material handling and equipment installation.

The corporation noted that this achievement contributes to China's energy industry safety technology system and strengthens the modernization of its mine emergency rescue capabilities.

According to the National Energy Administration, China's charging network for electric vehicles continued to expand swiftly in January, with the number of charging connectors totaling 207 million, marking a sharp increase of 496 from one year earlier.

Of these, around 48 million were public charging facilities, while 159 million were private, up 31 and 56 year-on-year respectively.

The data showed that the combined rated power of public electric vehicle charging facilities had reached 226 million kilowatts at the end of January, or approximately 47 kilowatts per charging facility on average.

The expansion of China's charging network stems from the increasing popularity of electric vehicles among Chinese consumers in recent years.

In 2025, new energy vehicles saw accelerated growth momentum in the country, with production and sales totaling 166 million and 1649 million units, growing by 29 and 28 year-on-year respectively.

That is according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

In October 2025, China unveiled a three-year action plan to improve the country's electric vehicle charging infrastructure, aiming to establish a nationwide network of 28 million charging facilities with public charging capacity surpassing 300 million kilowatts by the end of 2027.

A female mouse that spent time aboard China's Tangon space station last year has birthed her third consecutive healthy litter back on Earth, providing scientists with invaluable data on mammalian reproduction after spaceflight.

Four mice were sent to the Tiangong space station as part of the Shenzhou-21 mission on October 31 2025.

Marking China's first small mammal experiment in orbit.

The rodents spent approximately two weeks in a specialized habitat in microgravity conditions.

Before returning to Earth on November the 14th.

Shortly after their return, one female conceived and delivered her first litter of nine pups on December the 10th.

She has since birthed two additional healthy litters, the second of which resulted in 10 pups and the third in another 9.

The size of each litter has exceeded typical terrestrial litters of 5 to 7 pups.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Zoology have observed intriguing behavioral variations across the three litters.

The first exhibited more cautious, socially anxious behavior, hiding in sheltered areas frequently.

The second showed greater confidence, exploring their environment more readily.

By the third litter, the offspring demonstrated progressively improved adaptation to ground living conditions.

According to the researchers, overall each successive litter has shown improved adaptation to ground living conditions compared to the previous one.

These subtle changes provide important evidence for the study of space life reproduction.

Mice have approximately 85 genetic similarity to humans and have rapid reproductive cycles, making them ideal models for the study of potential risks to human reproduction during long-term space missions.

Researchers will now monitor these space pups closely, tracking growth curves and testing whether they themselves can reproduce normally, searching for potential generational impacts.

What lies ahead is even more exciting.

According to the research plan, the scientific team will conduct longer-duration space experiments with mice mirroring human orbital missions that last over six months, to study their physiological responses and spatial adaptability.

These findings bring scientists closer to answering a fundamental question for the future of humanity in space.

Can mammals successfully reproduce beyond Earth?

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China's digital push in the manufacturing sector has entered a stage of broad-based adoption, with the vast majority of large industrial enterprises implementing digital upgrades.

That is, according to a report released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

As of December 2025, 89.6% of major industrial firms had undertaken digital retrofitting.

Digital upgrades have particularly advanced faster in the automotive, shipbuilding and electronic information manufacturing sectors, with their digital upgrades rate reaching 944, 942 and 939 respectively.

Zhao Beibei, an engineer with the Academy, said that digital transformation has emerged as a key driver of efficiency, resilience and green production.

The report said that China should further accelerate the adoption of digital technologies by aligning transformation efforts with companies' operational needs and broader industrial upgrading goals, while calling for stronger support in standard setting, infrastructure and other fundamental areas.

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[Advancements in Chinese Technology: From Exoskeletons and EV Infrastructure to Space Biology and Industrial Digitization]-[China develops its first exoskeleton robot for mine emergency rescue.]

📋 Summary

Revolutionary Human-Machine Collaboration in Mine Rescue

The Rapid Expansion of China's Electric Vehicle Charging Network

Space Biology: Mammalian Reproduction Post-Spaceflight

Digital Transformation in China’s Manufacturing Sector

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📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript