Tech Please rewind: China's top tech feats of 2023

Editor's note: "Tech Please!" takes a brief look at all things science and technology in China, revealing trends you won't hear about anywhere else, from cutting-edge developments to the bizarre and whimsical in the world's most exciting tech market.

As we approach the end of another incredible year in the world of technology, it's time to take a look back at the most popular news about Chinese tech on CGTN that had our jaws dropping and eyes popping!

5. Chinese, U.S. scientists develop sea cucumber-inspired shape-shifting robot

It is a magnetically controlled liquid metal for manufacturing robots developed jointly by Chinese and U.S. engineers. There are a lot of technology collaborations between the two countries.

It's called a "magnetoactive solid-liquid phase transitional machine," or MPTM, and it's responsive to an alternating magnetic field. And you can, through induction, heat the material and cause it to change its state.

This type of material could come in handy for very intricate medical and engineering problems like removing an object in the stomach, as demonstrated by the research team, or delivering drugs on demand. It can also work as a smart soldering robot for wireless circuit assembly and repair or morph into a universal mechanical "screw" to assemble parts in hard-to-reach spaces. 

4. New Huawei phone dials in China's trailblazing mobile satellite service

Huawei's new phone made it to fourth place on our most-read list. The phone specs are incredible, but the main highlight is its satellite phone call capability. It's a very novel phone feature but one that has been getting a lot of attention.

In 2022, Huawei introduced the Mate 50 series that can send messages using China's BeiDou navigation satellite. Shortly after, Apple announced that its iPhone 14 series can send emergency messages via the Globalstar satellite. But to have a smartphone make satellite calls is not easy. You see, traditional satellite phones are either bulky or have large antennas attached to receive powerful signals from the satellite. But Huawei designed its antenna and chipsets for the satellite function without compromising on the weight or build.

If you want to get your hands on Huawei's new phone and try out its satellite phone call services, check out the episode. Who knows? It might just be a lifesaver if you find yourself in a flood. Just a thought!

Read more: Tech Please: Are satellite smart phones the next must-have?

3. China exports world's first hydrogen-powered smart tram to Malaysia

In third place is a China-produced hydrogen-powered smart tram exported to Malaysia. 

The tram requires no rails and can realize autonomous driving by following the dashed lines painted on the road. But a driver will still be on standby when the vehicle is in operation.

The first tram exported began road testing in September in the Malaysian city of Kuching. China will deliver 38 trams in batches over the coming two years. And they'll be running on three lines across the city from 2025.

2. AP: Video of water in a glass on China's space station not proof of 'deception'

Another news piece that made it to our Top 5 is a fact-check of a conspiracy on the science experiments conducted on the China Space Station.

An Instagram user questioned whether the footage from a science lecture by the Shenzhou-13 crew truly happened at the space station. The lecture itself dates back to 2021, and in the post, the person used a glass of water sitting up straight on a workbench to claim the entire video was fake! The post got over 36,000 likes and created a whirlwind of doubts.

But here's the twist! The Associated Press stepped in and interviewed experts to separate fact from myth! And guess what? The proclaimed gravity-defying water stunt is no Hollywood magic; it's basic science! Water molecules like to stick to glass and other water molecules instead of dispersing in the air. Plus, the video did show taikonauts using strips to make the glass stick to the table. Someone obviously didn't pay attention to the entire class.

Just as the expert told AP, there is very little reason for China to fake the video. But conspiracy theorists will always twist things!

1. China develops world's first super all-analog photoelectronic chip

And finally, our most-read Chinese tech news goes to – the world's first all-analog photoelectronic chip, or ACCEL, developed by China. 

What makes this chip so special is that it doesn't follow the traditional digital route of coding information. Instead, this group of engineers cracked the problem of combining the power of light and electricity in an all-analog way. That makes the chip work more like a human brain, handling data faster and more smoothly.

Not only is this chip the first of its kind, but it can also carry out visual identification tasks 3,000 times faster and with 4 million times less energy consumption than a top-of-the-line graphics processing unit (GPU). It is possible because the traditional analog-to-digital conversion is time- and energy-consuming, but if you do it with light, it's a game changer.

The team, led by Dai Qionghai from Tsinghua University, developed a prototype chip and will work toward making a general-purpose artificial intelligence chip for a broader range of applications.

And that wraps up our most-read tech news from China for 2023! From the disruptive computing chips to Huawei's new phone and the cosmic adventures of China's space program, right down to a Terminator-2-style robot straight out of sci-fi dreams. Which tech revelation left your jaw on the floor? Jump into the comments and let me know your tech highlight of the year and what you're hoping to see in the tech world next year. 

And, of course, I wish you all a happy and tech-tastic New Year!

In 2024, stay tuned for more tech, please.

Scriptwriter and host: Zhao Chenchen

Copy editor: Nadim Diab

Cameraman: Zheng Hao

Post production: Zhao Yuxiang

3D designer: Pan Yongzhe

Cover image designer: Jia Jieqiong

Producer: Cao Qingqing

Chief editors: Wen Yaru, Wu Gang

Executive producer: Zhang Shilei