China has deployed 10 robots as custom officers at three ports, particularly in the cities of Zhongshan and Zhuhai in Guangdong Province.

The robot custom officers, which will manage the ports of Gongbei, Hengqin and Zhongshan, started their office on Saturday, according to a statement released by the local custom office.

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These robot officers, called Xiao Hai, have been developed using cutting-edge perception technology and they are capable of carrying out various functions such as speaking, listening and walking. The robots are also designed to learn for better performance.

The robots have already been tested at an airport in Guangdong province.

Using a specialized database, Xiao Hai are able to understand and answer questions in 28 languages and dialects, which include are Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and English. The robots will be linked to the custom office's customer service hotline.

Xiao Hai are equipped with face recognition technology, to help them detect suspicious people. The robots can then raise an alarm. The deployment of robots is not only expected to increase efficiency, but also to help the country increase its foothold in sophisticated technology segment.

China has focused on robotics as its priority, as it aims to become a frontrunner in the area.

It can be noted that deployment of robots in China showed 56 percent growth rate in 2014, as various Chinese companies are also going ahead with their robotic programs. In fact, Midea, a Chinese home appliance compan,y bought German robotics company Kuka for $5 billion earlier this year.  

TagsXiao Hai, Guangdong, Gongbei, Hengqin