USVs Cause Lively Discussion at China-Israel Summit
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USVs Cause Lively Discussion at China-Israel Summit

Unmanned surface vessel (USV) technology brought hot discussion at the 4th edition of the China-Israel Innovation & Investment Summit, which was held in Zhuhai, China, between 2-4 July 2018. Yunfei Zhang, the founder of Oceanalpha, was invited as one of the top technical experts to give a speech. He stated that surface robots, represented by USVs, will subvert the traditional operation in the marine field, while the core of unmanned boats is AI technology.

This speech matched the trend as both Israel and China are actively developing USV technology. Israel has always been known for its prosperous technology industry and innovative capabilities and enjoys the reputation of Silicon Valley in the Middle East. Israel also excels in the USV field. As early as 2003, Israel launched their USV project, the Protector, which until now has been in development for 15 years. Currently, Israel commands mature USV technologies in the field of advanced maritime security and intelligence surveillance.

Rapid breakthroughs

Although the Chinese USV industry started a little later, enterprises such as Oceanalpha have made rapid breakthroughs in key technologies, and their products are widely used. Oceanalpha’s USV, weighting from a few kilograms to a few hundred tons, is currently used in environmental monitoring, hydrographic survey, coastal defense investigations, maritime rescue and other fields.

In China, USVs are used in many key national missions. On the Namtso lake area, the second largest lake area in Tibet, Oceanalpha’s USV investigated the genesis and historical evolution of glacial lakes and conducted water eutrophication distribution detection. In the South China Sea, the USV conducted a hydrographic survey to provide data support for shipping and sea area regulation; In the Wanshan sea area, the USV assisted in calibrating China’s satellites.

Accelerating the USV industry

As the first high-tech enterprise in China focusing on the research and development of USVs, Oceanalpha not only built the first USV research and development test base in China, but also consistently updates USV technologies and products to accelerate the industry.

The China-Israel Innovation & Investment Summit is an important platform for promoting scientific and economic cooperation between the two countries. In 2017, more than a thousand contracts, evaluating nearly US$4 billion, was signed at the summit.

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