Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Zhang Lu, researcher of Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under Chinese Academy of Sciences, talking to reporter
2. Various of equipment
3. Robotic arm working
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Lu, researcher, Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences (starting with shot 3/partially overlaid with shot 5):
"For example, after the external loads are taken into the cabin, including some of the biological loads, when there is need to sterilize them after the experiments, we can change the end tools fixed to the robotic arm to do the work. We could have different end tools installed on the robotic arm to perform different tasks in the years to come. If there are some tedious tasks like turning screws or sampling, we can replace the end tool with a small clamping jaw, or an electric scissors, to complete the operation."
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5. Robotic arm working
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6. Robotic arm

Three sophisticated robotic arms installed on China's Tiangong space station are used to expand the capabilities of the Chinese astronauts to conduct various space missions.

Two robotic arms, a large one and a small one, are installed outside the space station.

The large robotic arm, about 10 meters long, with a maximum load capacity of 25 tonnes, is able to crawl outside the capsule and grasp large capsules like Wentian and Mengtian lab modules.

The small one is about five meters long, with a maximum load capacity of three tonnes. It has higher operation accuracy than the big one.

It can be used alone, or be connected with the large robotic arm to form an arm of about 15 meters long, so as to expand the reach of the astronauts outside the space station.

Inside the space station, there is an even smaller robotic arm in the Mengtian lab module.

It is about 70 or 80 centimeters long and its operation accuracy can reach 0.1 millimeters, capable of helping the astronauts with maintenance, installation and adjustment operations.

Zhang Lu, a researcher of the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said this smaller arm is designed to undertake various tasks.

"For example, after the external loads are taken into the cabin, including some of the biological loads, when there is need to sterilize them after the experiments, we can change the end tools fixed to the robotic arm to do the work. We could have different end tools installed on the robotic arm to perform different tasks in the years to come. If there are some tedious tasks like turning screws or sampling, we can replace the end tool with a small clamping jaw, or an electric scissors, to complete the operation," he said.