In a case of science imitating life, human-shaped robots will perform traditional shadow boxing, music and other arts during the 2010 World Expo.

Highly sophisticated human-shaped robots, with 3-dimensional cognitive functions, will perform music and sports, a senior engineer said yesterday.

The Shanghai Electric Group, one of China's top mechanical and electric equipment makers, is working with the city to develop high-performance robots for the Expo.

"Our advanced robots will perform with Chinese characteristics," said Chen Jiaxiang, a senior engineer of the service robots project of the Shanghai Electric Group, at an Eastern Forum of Science and Technology. The Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering are also developing the robots.

Chen introduced two human-shaped robots -- they can play music and perform shadow boxing.

"We will present a band of robots," he said, noting that each band member will play different music and make gestures.

The Shanghai Electric Group has completed development of two robots that can respectively play harp and pipe instruments, including the flute and clarinet.

The Shanghai Electric Group is developing more advanced human-shaped robots that can walk, listen, speak and read.

The group also plans an advanced humanoid robot that can replicate most human poses, better than existing robots, Chen said.

The robot has flexible limbs, it will stand 1.7 meters, stride 1 meter per second and jog at 2 meters per second with perfect balance, said Chen.

Unlike normal human-similar robots, the new robot can catch objects according to its three-dimensional visual-cognitive ability. It can identify languages and it will have wireless Internet connections.

Flexible limbs will allow it to perform shadow boxing. experts said.

(Shanghai Daily June 26, 2006)