Guangzhou | Robot employed to help rehab drug addicts

Guangzhou has employed a talking robot to aid the rehabilitation of substance users through human-machine counseling, reports state media agency Xinhua. While robots elsewhere are made to blur the line between humans and machines, the robot in the Guangdong capital boasts a special appeal to addicts who find it embarrassing to talk to human community workers. Aided by artificial intelligence algorithms and big data, the machine offers individual counseling, psychological evaluation and a reminder of urine tests. It is co-developed by the district’s narcotics control commission and a Chinese tech firm to streamline the rehab service, according to the commission. After swiping an ID card and undergoing facial recognition, a user can start counseling, an important part of the follow-up care after drug addiction treatment, with the robot, which generates a report afterward. The commission said they have plans to utilize the same robot model at more community rehab centers in the district.

Zhuhai| Hippo ivory, products confiscated

Customs authorities in south China’s Guangdong Province have confiscated a batch of hippopotamus ivory and related products. A total of 1.66 tonnes of hippo ivory and their products were intercepted by Gongbei customs in Zhuhai city. The ivory and products were apprehended in a company in May, according to customs authorities. The company imported the products from abroad and hired workers to process and sell them illegally. Three people have been arrested by local police, and further investigation is underway.

Shenzhen | Cartoon and animation festival set for July

The 11th Shenzhen Cartoon and Animation Festival (SZCAF) is slated for July 18-22 at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, according to the event’s website. Known as one of China’s four major animation festivals, SZCAF has been held in Shenzhen every summer since 2009 as the city’s biggest animation-themed event that attracts cartoon and animation companies and fans alike. This year’s event will take place at three halls dedicated to two-dimensional artworks (also known as ACGN, or Anime, Comic, Games and Novels), cartoon and animation and interactive entertainment, respectively.