A fully automatic nasopharyngeal sampling swab robot is on display at the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) on Saturday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Advanced technologies related to the current hottest topics, such as virus prevention, carbon emission reduction, and the winter Olympics are now on display at the ongoing 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS).

High-tech showcases are a big part of this year's CIFTIS which has instituted a special section for digital services for the first time, with the latest digital offerings from both domestic and foreign tech giants among the event's top attractions. 

At the China National Convention Center, neighboring the Bird's Nest in northern Beijing, where the digital services lineups are located, Huawei's self-developed Harmony OS and a wide-ranging ecosystem built around it are on display.

5G, the basis for a digitalized future, has become the keyword for Qualcomm's presentation at the trade fair where the US chip giant Qualcomm has also brought its artificial intelligence, extended reality, and high-resolution imaging technologies.

At the Shougang Industrial Park in western Beijing, the CIFTIS' new host venue, the event also seems to have visitors' attention glued to an array of technologies being used in sports.

Besides a stall where many visitors, mostly young, tried out finiteness equipment powered by a smart spinning bike system for indoor workouts developed by iLodo (Beijing) Sports Technology Co, Ma Bin, a sales manager at the company, told the Global Times on Sunday that the locally developed system is now in use in over 2,000 gyms and hundreds of firms and institutions across the country. 

With an R&D team of nearly 70 people, the Beijing-based firms are eyeing a partnership with the forthcoming Winter Olympics, according to Ma.

Chinese vaccine producer China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a Sinopharm subsidiary, is also among the event's most-visited exhibitors. The global frontrunner in COVID-19 treatment development unveiled at the CIFTIS a drug based on human immunoglobulin developed from the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients. The company just obtained the approval to conduct clinical trials for the drug.

Leading healthcare enterprises and medical institutions both local and international are showcasing their latest innovations at the exhibition, which covers areas including smart healthcare, traditional medicine, and COVID-19 prevention and control, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The world's first, fully automatic nasopharyngeal sampling swab robot was one of the most eye-catching exhibits. 

The robot could realize a fully automatic work process of grasping, calibrating, and collecting samplings, as well as disinfection. It uses facial recognition to find the position of the nostril, and then inserts the cotton swab into people's nasopharynx. After collecting a sample, it automatically breaks the cotton swab and puts it in kits, according to Caijing.

The robot can realize unmanned nasopharyngeal swab sampling and collection, and avoid infection of medical staff in high-risk situations.

In addition, the robot precisely controls the contact strength of the cotton swab with the nasal cavity through a control sensor, for which the experience may be far more comfortable for people.

Healthcare will be a widely discussed topic at this year's CIFTIS. Besides the exhibition, more than 10 forums and conferences will be convened on the sidelines to discuss issues including international healthcare cooperation and research and development services, according to the organizers.

Winter sports facilities and exhibitions have attracted many exhibitors attending the CIFTIS as the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be expected to commence next February in Beijing.  

There are many interactive devices for the public to experience winter sports at the CIFTIS, including simulated skiing, a realistic ice skating simulation, a realistic ice curling simulation, and dryland curling.

At the exhibition of the China Bank, visitors could pay using digital currency to experience the fun of VR skiing. 

In the digital service zone, the waterless paper recycling system has become one of the most popular exhibits to explore.

With this device, it only required three steps of separation, bonding, and pressing to turn waste paper in the office into new paper that can be reused.

According to the Epson staff, a piece of new paper can be produced in an average of 5 seconds, which means 720 pieces of paper can be produced within an hour. According to estimates, each device could save 84 trees per year. 

However, the price of this equipment is not cheap, which is current around 5.6 million yuan per unit.

CIFTIS opened on Thursday in Beijing and will run through to September 7.

People try a skiing simulator at the CIFTIS on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

A holographic Monkey King is seen at the CIFTIS on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

A visitor in a space suit has a video taken at the CIFTIS on Saturday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Baidu's nomancar attracts visitors at the CIFTIS Photo: Li Hao/GT