China's first building component assembly robot, which saves on labor costs, works faster than manual laborers, is highly efficient, and has a low environmental impact, debuts in Tongzhou district, Nantong on July 31. [Video by Xu Congjun/ntfabu.com]

Chi Sha, the first building component assembly robot in China, debuted at Jiangsu Great Hoisting Machinery Co Ltd in Tongzhou district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, on July 31.

Developed by China Railway Science & Industry Group Co Ltd and manufactured by Jiangsu Great Hoisting Machinery, the debut of Chi Sha fills a gap in China's prefabricated construction equipment industry.

With a length of 80 meters and a weight of 120 tons, the assembly robot has eight motion arms which can operate independently to meet the strict construction demands of high and low platform steps, tower cranes, and cast-in-place hollows.

In addition to taking full advantage of the beam erecting machine, the Chi Sha assembly robot is also equipped with a number of "eyes". It only needs one person to operate it and one person to command it.

Zhu Qiaorong, vice chairman of the Nantong civil engineering society, said that Nantong is famous for its construction industry. In recent years, the traditional construction methods of urban buildings using on-site pouring have not been able to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of the government.

The robot will save on labor costs, increase the speed of construction, offer higher efficiency, lessen environmental impact, and help conserve energy, which is especially important amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhu added.