The 2026 World Robot Conference kicked off in Beijing on August 19, with 15 companies from Sichuan province presenting dozens of cutting-edge products. Highlights included a four-legged "firefighting unit" carrying a water pump, emotional interaction robots capable of conversation, smart robotic arms equipped with both "eyes" and a "brain," and interactive robots performing traditional face-changing acts. This year, the focus of Sichuan's exhibits has shifted—not from "showcasing performance" but from "demonstrating real-world utility."

On the same day, which marks Chinese Doctors' Day, Wang Qiu, head of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at West China Second University Hospital, was named one of the nation's "Most Beautiful Doctors." As the hospital's first pediatric rehabilitation therapist, he keeps a "magic" pocket filled with toys to comfort children and has spent 22 years crouching down to speak with them at eye level. Over the years, his department has grown from just three staff members to more than 90. During his medical aid mission in Tibet, he contributed to building the Tibet Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Hospital, which has since become the region's largest pediatric rehabilitation and child healthcare center. For further details, see the second edition of today's paper.