Charging robots, mapping drones: Shanghai tech showcased in Vienna

On day two of the 22nd Shanghai Fair edition in Vienna, the Austrian capital saw a wide range of Chinese products displayed.  

Among the goods showcased by 130 companies from China's second city were prosthetic hands, AI hearing aids and mobile charging robots.

"We can actually take the robot directly into a factory setting or a service bay and deliver the charging directly where it's needed," Josh Bitterman, Head of business development at Iondynamics Energy, told CGTN. 

"It helps to solve the infrastructure challenge that we see in the United States and the European market as well where it's very expensive to put in DC charging equipment."

It's an effective product that didn't go unnoticed among Austrian fair visitors such as Victor Rotari. He opined: "We are young entrepreneurs looking for new opportunities. We are mainly active in photovoltaics, and products like this one here are getting more and more popular."

Two thousand European companies are registered at the event, hoping to do business with Shanghai firms, via agents deployed by Austria's Economic Chamber WKO.

"Many of my sales agents are visiting the stands, are trying to get in contact with the Shanghai suppliers and manufacturers and they offer a collaboration," WKO division manager Christian Rebernig said.

From consumer goods to chemicals and even processed metal, the range of Shanghai products showcased here in Vienna is wide. There is, however, a clear focus on electronics and software. Roughly 40 percent of products on show contain high-tech such as artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.

Also showcased in Vienna was a new unmanned aerial vehicle used for military-use detection of civil-use mapping. "We already developed the Chinese market and now we are looking for some opportunities here," Arthur Weng, General Manager at Shanghai Risen Testing, told CGTN.

"This fair is of great significance, as it marks our inaugural exhibition in a highly developed European nation," said Fu Wengang, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Fair Committee. 

"For businesses from Shanghai, including those from the Yangtze River Delta region, to collaborate with European counterparts holds considerable strategic importance."

China's economic powerhouse Shanghai and Europe's cultural hub Vienna are now not only connected by direct flights but also by this trade fair, which participants hope will be repeated in the upcoming years.