A 5G-enabled robot resembling a ship is put into use in Kangqian sub-district, Deqing county, Huzhou to better monitor water quality. [Photo/hz66.com]

A 5G-enabled robot resembling a ship was recently put into use in Kangqian sub-district, Deqing county, Huzhou to better monitor water quality.

The data collected by the robot, which can identify floating objects and riverside rubbish, will be sent back to "river chiefs" in the area in real time.

"River chiefs" refer to officials at each level of government in Huzhou appointed to take charge of the water sources in their area.

There are 47 rivers under the jurisdiction of Kangqian sub-district, with a total water area of 2 square kilometers.

The introduction of the robot, which was developed by the Zhejiang University of Technology, comes as part of local authorities' efforts to strengthen protection on water bodies.

The robot, which is equipped with a variety of equipment like a 4K high-definition camera and positioning instrument, will greatly improve the dynamic monitoring capacity on rivers, according to Wei Shan, a member of the Party working committee of Kangqian sub-district.

Shen Fukang, deputy head of the water control office of Deqing county, said that they will leverage strengths in the geographic information industry and put more smart equipment, including unmanned ships and underwater robots, in service for water control efforts.

Deqing is a national hub for the geographic information sector. The Deqing Geographic Information Industrial Park currently houses more than 400 enterprises specializing in the internet, the internet of things, data modeling, as well as satellite remote sensing and positioning.