The country's first research center for tunnel mechatronics engineering was recently launched in Nanyang, Henan province.

It is a professional scientific research base focusing mainly on smart equipment for tunnel engineering, as well as cooperative software development. The government has attached great importance to the project and is working to provide land for the center's emulation tunnel.

The research center is expected to significantly strengthen Nanyang's public transportation system. With this new momentum, the southwestern Henan city is expected to become a national supply center for electromechanical products and software with a market capacity of over 50 billion yuan ($7.45 billion).

The center is affiliated with Zhong Jiao Guo Tong Highway Engineering Company in Nanyang. The company plans to invest heavily every year in research for transportation projects and big data monitoring systems to assess highway quality.

A scientific research team has already been formed for the new center, which is scheduled to begin construction in July and hopefully become operational by the end of the year.