World Sensors Summit  Photo: Xu Keyue/GT

Robots are predicted to bear 45 percent of manufacturing work in 2020, triple the amount than present, based on technological breakthroughs and stronger cooperation with overseas participants, experts said at the World Sensors Summit on Saturday.

About 13 technologies, such as cloud networking, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI), would help accelerate complete digitalization of manufacturing sector, Chen Xiangli, a member of US National Academy of Engineering said during the opening ceremony of the summit held in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province.

More than 150 enterprises and scientific research institutions from home and abroad, including Siemens, Microsoft, and China National Petroleum Corporation exhibited their latest achievements in artificial intelligence innovations, industrial robots, and sensors application. 

Robotic products can't be segregated from sensors technology which is central to industrial applications used for monitoring, process control and industrial safety, an employee of Shenyang Academy of Instrument Science Corp whose products are on display at the summit, told the Global Times on Saturday.

In the information age, sensors play an important role in promoting industrial transformation, modern defense, and improving people's lives, he said.

Intelligent sensors also comprise a critical part of the technologies in evolving defense ecosystem, which include drones, spacecraft, military vehicles, and rockets, another employee of a participating company told the Global Times. Specifically, internal and external security systems rely on smart sensor technology for surveillance, intelligence and combat operations.

Industrial robot production in China reached 148,000 units in 2018, accounting for 38 percent of the world's total, according to a Chinese industrial official.

In recent years, China's industrial robot market has become the world's largest, accounting for one-third of global sales, according to a report released by the Chinese Institute of Electronics in August.

More than 130 robots per 10,000 people in China are anticipated by 2021, according to the International Federation of Robotics.