(Yicai) Oct. 20 -- Overseas buyers have shown great interest in the newly added smart healthcare robot zone at the second of this year's bi-annual China Import and Export Fair, better known as the Canton Fair, with 47 firms, including exoskeleton and surgical robot makers, showing their products.

"The exhibition's effect has exceeded our expectations," Lin Chenhong, business director of exoskeleton manufacturer Taixi Robot, told Yicai. The company has sold dozens of robots at USD800 apiece every day at the 138th Canton Fair in Guangzhou, which opened on Oct. 15 and runs through Nov. 4, with many other orders still under negotiation, she noted.

The exoskeletons at Taixi Robot's booth drew long queues of overseas buyers wanting to try them on, Lin pointed out, adding that the products "are mainly used to assist mountain climbers and elderly people with mobility difficulties to walk."

Taixi Robot's exoskeleton weighs two kilograms with a battery life of three to seven hours and can help users reduce their physical exhaustion by 30 percent to 50 percent, effectively alleviating muscle soreness and joint tension caused by long-term exercise, according to Lin.

Medical device maker Yuanhua Robotics, Perception and AI Technologies brought its Kunwu orthopaedic surgeon, which is used in knee joint, hip joint, unicompartmental knee replacement, and other surgeries.

Kunwu has made cutting in orthopedic surgeries more precise, while significantly improving surgical efficiency, said a worker from Shenzhen-based Yuanhua Robotics. Knee replacement surgeries can be shortened to half an hour to an hour from between one and a half and two hours, the person noted, adding that the robot has completed over 5,000 surgeries.

In addition, Kunwu has obtained medical equipment certifications and sales licenses from regulators in Thailand, India, and Indonesia, the employee noted, adding that it is also applying for a CE certification required to enter the European Union.

At the smart healthcare robot zone, Yicai saw an overseas buyer in a bed receiving traditional Chinese medical therapy from a service robot. Many others were taking photos or even livestreaming the experience.

The robot can perform traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy, attracting many inquiries from East and Southeast Asian clients who have a good understanding of traditional Chinese culture, a worker from Wuyuyun Intelligent Technology, developer of the robot's main components and software, said to Yicai.

The growing demand for robots has also created business opportunities for material suppliers, Jia Bening, a salesperson at Ti5 Robot, a robotic hardware and comprehensive robotic solutions provider, told Yicai. The development of the humanoid robot sector has driven demand for joint mechanical modules, with the sale of related products "doubling every year," Jia pointed out.

"About 60 to 70 percent of the exhibitors in the service robot zone of the Canton Fair are clients of Ti5 Robot," according to Jia. With the rapid development of the downstream robot industry, the company has stepped into the export business, although still in its infancy, Jia added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev