(Yicai Global) Sept. 17 -- Evolutionary algorithms and solutions and their practical applications really stole the show from the eye-catching driverless vehicles, drones and robots at the 2018 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Yicai Global noted when exploring the exhibition area prior to today's opening in Shanghai.

Technologies which usually hide behind the scenes also came out on stage at the two-day event.

At over 10 million per day, the city's subway ridership is massive, Cai Feng, the Shanghai Shentong Metro Group guide, told Yicai Global in front of a big real-time data display in the mass transit company's display.

Shanghai's subway has equipped 70 percent of trains with instant failure report mechanisms, uploading and relaying all real-time train conditions to the control center for timely decisions and solutions, Cai said.

"Failure feedbacks used to take over 10 minutes at a minimum, but now they are instantaneous, thus reducing failure handling time," Cai said.

Shentong Metro Group released its payment app in May. It lets passengers enter stations by scanning a code with their smartphones. Riders now no longer need to line up for tickets as the app allows electronic payments.

This is China's first real-time QR code. It imposes high requirements for connections and QR code algorithms. The app has enrolled 7.4 million real name registered users three months after its release, or 20 percent of passengers, Cai told Yicai Global.

At another stand, Shanghai Electric Vehicle Public Data Collecting, Monitoring and Research Center's (SHEVDC) Big Data platform having achieved real-time monitoring, was displaying actual new energy vehicles running on the road.

"The application platform refreshes every 30 seconds. Look, the current NEV traffic count is 25,788. We have linked about 200,000 NEVs to this platform, covering all of Shanghai's," Zhang Wenjie, the SHEVDC's senior project manager, told Yicai Global.

Each car's data is embedded directly at the finished vehicle assembly plant. The system can use these data to instantly calculate the NEVs' charge levels, helping authorities to direct and manage them, Zhang said.

Editor: Ben Armour