Doha: China has commissioned its first homegrown seven-function robotic arm for deep-sea oil and gas operations. The mechanical arm has been mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and performed precision tasks during its inaugural deployment in the Pearl River Mouth Basin. The developer said its maximum operating water depth is 7,000 meters.

According to Qatar News Agency, it mastered seven capabilities — extend, retract, swing, rotate, open, grasp and clamp — and completed valve operations and installed equipment in strong currents. The 60-kilogram arm, which is 35% lighter than its global peers, carried a 125-kilogram payload at full extension.