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[China Accelerates Commercial Application of Underwater Robots to Boost Marine Ranching Construction] In the Xinghai Bay waters of Dalian, Liaoning Province, a coastal city in Northeast China, a series of box-shaped underwater robots slowly submerged, staging a practical competition to harvest seafood. "Through human-machine collaboration, we captured 17 targets in half an hour, including 6 conches, 8 scallops, 2 starfish, and 1 oyster," said Zhang Wanhui, a member of the OurEDA team from Dalian University of Technology, who had just finished the competition. From September 17th to 20th, the 10th National Underwater Robot Competition was held in Dalian, Liaoning Province. Thirty underwater robot teams from domestic universities, research institutes, and related companies, including Dalian University of Technology and Dalian Maritime University, participated, competing in underwater perception and detection, underwater positioning and communication, and underwater intelligent operation capabilities in a real near-shore environment. China has over 18,000 kilometers of mainland coastline and over 14,000 kilometers of island coastline, possessing uniquely abundant marine resources. In recent years, many regions in China have actively promoted the construction of "blue granaries," establishing over 160 national-level marine ranches and providing more possibilities for the diversified development of the "blue economy." From seafood harvesting and underwater anchor rope retrieval to underwater ecological monitoring, the needs of marine ranching enterprises in their daily operations indicate a broad market prospect for the underwater robot industry. Coastal provinces in China are accelerating the development of application scenarios for marine underwater robots, streamlining the entire chain of "production, education, research, application, and finance," and driving the marine ranching industry towards new development. (Xinhua News Agency)