Just how smart can your life be today? At the opening ceremony of the 2023 Minhang Science and Technology Festival held on May 23, a range of new technologies and products closely tied to people’s daily lives—including smart pet care, unmanned supermarkets, smart education, and AI-powered exhibits—were showcased by local science and technology innovation enterprises. These innovations demonstrated the transformative impact of technological advancements on urban life from a familiar, everyday perspective.
In February of this year, the Shanghai Municipal Government officially released the “Implementation Plan for Advancing the Construction of the ‘Greater Zero Bay’ Science and Technology Innovation Source Zone.” Seizing the opportunity presented by the municipal government’s push to build the “Greater Zero Bay” as a hub for innovation, this year’s Minhang Science and Technology Festival will center on the theme “Science and Technology Innovation as the Source, Smart Creation for the Future.” The festival aims to usher in a new era where technological innovation empowers industrial life and urban development, and to foster a new paradigm where innovative intellect drives innovation-led growth. Looking ahead, cutting-edge technologies such as AI, synthetic biology, and translational medicine will undoubtedly fuel the further growth of the “Greater Zero Bay.”
At the opening ceremony, 12 Minhang District-level Innovation and R&D Centers for 2022, 8 enterprises selected for the second batch of the “Zhangjiang Stars” cultivation program, and 11 enterprises from the “Top 100 Science and Technology Innovation Stars” list were awarded honorary plaques. This recognition aims to encourage science and technology enterprises to strengthen independent innovation, continuously enhance their “hard tech” capabilities, and make new contributions to Minhang’s economic and social development.
At the event, the 3.0 version of Minhang’s science popularization IP character was officially unveiled, featuring a design that powerfully conveys the spirit of science popularization culture. It is reported that the District CPPCC, the District Science and Technology Commission and Association for Science and Technology, and hotdog jointly issued a limited-edition charitable digital blind box—the “Minmin Blind Box”—to support children with autism. They also presented Minhang Science Popularization IP digital blind boxes to 100 families of “children of the stars.” Opening the blind box allows recipients to randomly receive one of four digital blind boxes: “Maqiao Lion Dance,” “Aerospace Pilot,” “Subway Conductor,” or “Dalingwan Maker.”
With these digital blind boxes, children can enjoy free admission for two years to 10 science education venues, including the Shanghai Aerospace Science and Technology Center, the Shanghai Metro Museum, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Transgenic Biology Science Education Base. It is hoped that through the power of science popularization culture, these “children of the stars” will be supported in overcoming their isolation.