Sang Zigang, vice director of SIA delivering a speech in front of the Statue of Jiang Xinsong

To memorize Jiang Xinsong (1931-1997), senior professor, member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, former director of Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), representatives from research divisions, administrative departments and postgraduate students visited the statue of Jiang Xinsong in Shenyang Labor Park, led by Sang Zigang, vice director of SIA and Zhou chuan, director of the Office of General Affairs on March 31, 2012. The attendees delivered flowers to the statute, paying tribute to and showing respect for the deceased scientist while standing in line in silence.

Born in August, 1931, Jiang was graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1956. He served as SIA director from 1980 to 1994. During this period, he proposed underwater robotics as the first major breakthrough of robotics development of China. In December 1985, the first underwater robot, developed by SIA, successfully completed its maiden voyage. In 1988, SIA-developed underwater robot was first put into use in China. In 1990, SIA-developed underwater robot was first exported to the United States. Under the leadership of Jiang, SIA developed into the only production base in China, which had the capability to provide underwater robot series products. In view of his remarkable achievements, Jiang was picked as the chief scientist in the Automation Field of the National High-tech R&D Program (the 863 Program). In 1995, the first 6,000m autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in China, developed by SIA, successfully passed its sea test in the Pacific Ocean.

His other legacy is effectively organized the development and application of Computer Integrated Manufacturing System (CIMS) in China. Paying attention to the future of large and medium-sized enterprises, Jiang insisted on enlisting CIMS into the high-tech R&D strategy. His objective is “integrating the country’s 400,000 (large and medium-sized) enterprises to the world and joining the competition in the international market”. At that time, the CIMS experiment project and Beijing No. 1 Machine Tool Plant received awards granted by the American Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) in 1994 and 1995 respectively. With the development and application of CIMS, the productivity was enhanced dramatically.

Jiang Xinsong suffered from a heart attack in the early morning of March 29, 1997 and was rushed to hospital immediately. However, he passed away the next day in Shenyang. Even in the last day of his life lying in the ward, Jiang was still talking about CIMS with his assistant and working on the title of his research report. Jiang devoted his whole life into China’s development of automation and robotics, and is widely known as China’s “father of robotics”.

In his lifetime, Jiang served as part-time professor at Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and University of Science and Technology of China, etc.; deputy director-general of the Chinese Association of Automation (CAA), Chinese Robot Association and Chinese Association of Artificial Intelligence; member of International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC); chairman of Beijing International High Level Robot Seminar and chairman of Beijing International CIMS symposium. He was also the editor-in-chief of Information and Control and Robot, both academic journals of CAA. (Dai Tianjiao)