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Tongxiang Economic Development Zone in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, is stepping up the development of the robotics sector, attracting more than 20 related projects with combined output exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.48 billion). 

In the first half of this year, the zone's industrial output from enterprises above designated size — enterprises with annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan — reached 410.7 billion yuan, up 18.6 percent year-on-year.

Jiaxing Cenozoic Robotics's cleaning robots combine 3D lidar, visual sensing, and AI algorithms to make autonomous operating decisions in complex environments. The company's exports more than tripled year-on-year in the first half of the year, with its products now deployed at more than 40 airports worldwide. It also secured a procurement order for 600 units from Britain's Tesco. At Singapore's Changi Airport, the company supplies more than 80 percent of the more than 100 robots currently in use.

Zhejiang Haihuan Intelligent Technology has developed hull-cleaning robots that utilize ultra-high-pressure water-jet technology to raise rust-removal and cleaning efficiency 20-fold compared with manual operations. The company sold more than 100 units in the first half of the year, while its revenue doubled.

The two types of robots made in Tongxiang are targeting the commercial cleaning and ship maintenance sectors, respectively, and are emerging as important contributors to the local intelligent manufacturing industry's expansion into overseas markets.