Shenzhen: Home of Innovation and Manufacturing — My First Experience of China
The struggle is as strong as ever for the internship that will offer the right professional experience. But then I found the the Generation UK programme and applied as soon as I could. This was down the programme offering a wide range of cultural and professional activities. Meanwhile, being located in some of the most vibrant and fast paced cities in the world. Furthermore, the programme offered language lessons that are extremely beneficial when it comes to; integrating into the culture, navigating and building strong foundation for future learning. Shenzhen of all locations specifically stood out to be as being a bustling, high-tech paradise which is the heart of manufacturing in China. Me being an aspiring Mechanical Engineer, this was ideal. Never would I have known that my expectations would be far surpassed during my 8 weeks in China.
Week 1–3: The Generation UK programme has many partner companies. I was then paired with the company Shenzhen Open Innovation Lab due to my expertise and career goals. Their services include; providing a network of manufacturers for entrepreneurs, event management for large scale networking/tech events and educational school camps for students wanting to learn about robotics. Initially I was placed on the FAB Village educational programme to improve an existing ROV design. The purpose of the ROV was to collect water data, such as PH and temp, and wirelessly send this to a terminal. This device in the future would be utilised by rural villages which could locate drinkable water with a user-friendly device. My role was to develop the wireless communication and coding to provide accessible learning materials for students that could make their own ROV. This consumed my first two weeks and the third week involved taking the students out to a rural village to teach and develop the ROV. After the six-day summer camp, the internship changed dramatically.
Week 4: After an intense six days of summer camp, I was offered to review marketing materials for Low Speed Electric Vehicles (LSEV). The marketing material summarized an opportunity for entrepreneurs to start-up a cooperative LSEV company and how SZOIL would be able to aid in that process. With my existing fascination on the Electric Vehicle technological advances this was great for me. The application of a COOP LSEV company are widespread due to LSEV’s extreme low cost of £2000 per unit. This would enable rural communities to set up; car sharing and commuting services, delivery services and short-term car rental services. Furthermore, it reinforces China effort of electrification and sustainability of their transport networks.
Week 5: On the fifth week of the internship many things changed. First, three new interns came, which changed the project dynamic from individual research and development into a group-based activity where roles could be delegated. Second, the educational projects changed to; self-driving cars, soft robotics and the “Smart Beehive” project. Thirdly, a wider range of projects was placed upon me. This included; interviewing entrepreneurs about their ideas and formulating their requests into reports, supervising workshops and conducting tours around Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen’s largest parts market.
Week 6: This is where me and another intern focused on developing the solar panel for the “Smart Beehive”. This was achieved by using a series of 3v Solar panels in combination with a USB DC-DC step-up converter. This was then used to power a power bank which would then power an Arduino. This setup would ensure that the sensors in the beehive could operate 24/7 without external power. This information would then be sent to beehive farmers that could monitor the beehive health remotely. In addition, the data would be used in the big data initiative that has been taken place in the local area to improve the lift of the rural people.
Week 7–8: This time was focused on creating a simple method to manufacture a “soft robotics claw”. The name soft robotics describes moving parts that are constructed from flexible (soft) polymers. The claw is able to grip objects when the hollow inside is inflated, and the inside of the claw expands less than the outside. This task proved difficult as it needed to be accessible for students of age 10–16. Therefore, a solution that included a folded single piece of cardboard was created. This cardboard was used as a mould in which two sets of polymer resin were poured and left to set over one hour. The solution that was produced at SZOIL included many different ideas over the internet which resulted in a far superior single solution that is offered on the internet with the same raw materials and resources.
Overall the experience at SZOIL and in China was life changing. The wide variety of activities I took part in at SZOIL developed my skills in robotics, manufacturing and informed me on the technological landscape in Shenzhen. Additionally, being in China and working with Chinese people, has significantly opened my mind to different cultures and understanding how Chinese people like to conduct business. Concluding this piece, I would first like to thank SZOIL and my colleagues for all the opportunities and connections that I have developed over the 8 weeks, as they will definitely come to benefit me in the future. I would also like to show my gratitude to the British Council, who’s funding allowed for me, and many other British students to partake in this amazing experience.
