Reported by: ZHANG Yuanfei
Translated by: LU Haiyan
Photographed by: ZHANG Yuanfei
Edited by: Armin Wisselink
Updated: 2012-5-25
The Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) was the only university chosen by The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information in the Chinese central exhibition area of the 2012 Hanover Fair in Germany. The Hanover Fair, which was held from April 23rd to 27th,, is the world's largest industrial fair, annually welcoming 6,000 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors from all over the globe. HIT’s exhibition team, lead by its vice president, Prof. DENG Zongquan, showcased a dexterous robotic hand and a prosthetic hand, which are joint developments of HIT and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
On April 23rd, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited HIT’s exhibit. HIT’s Professor LIU Hong demonstrated the robotic hands to the two leaders and conveyed his desire for further co-operation between HIT and the DLR. The two leaders examined the hands with great interest and even accepted Professor Liu’s invitation to shake the dexterous robotic hand.
Professor Liu has worked under the leadership of Professor Gerd Hirzinger, Director of the DLR’s Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, for nearly 20 years and the two have formed a strong professional and personal relationship. In 2001, at the suggestion of Professor Hirzinger and HIT’s Professor Cai Hegao, the DLR and HIT established a HIT-DLR Joint Robotics Lab. In recognition of Professor Hirzinger’s great contributions to the fruitful cooperation between DLR and HIT, the university granted him an honorary professorship in 2003.
With the support of the Chinese and German Space Agencies, HIT set up the Sino-German Joint Robotics Laboratory in 2008, paving the way for increased Sino-German cooperation in robotics and other research areas.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visit the HIT exhibit.
Vice President, DENG Zongquan talks with Prof. Gerd Hirzinger of DLR.
