A panda-shaped intelligent vehicle is displayed at the branch venue of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Jiading district, Shanghai. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn]

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), titled "Intelligent World, Indivisible Community", opened in Shanghai July 9, and for the first time adopted a new model where offline exhibitions and online displays of the latest technology take place simultaneously.

At the branch venue of WAIC in Jiading district, Shanghai, more than 20 intelligent vehicles made their debuts, giving visitors a sneak?peek?at future vehicles.

The intelligent vehicles, which are called AI (artificial intelligence) Panda Bus, caught the public's attention at the conference. The AI Panda Bus, developed by DeepBlue Technology, a Shanghai-based AI startup, is a large AI-enabled, autonomous driving, luxurious heavy-duty commuter bus. It is expected to reshape the environment of smart city public travel.

The bus is powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery and boasts many AI technologies, such as biometric scanners, in-vehicle robot assistants, voice recognition, smart advertisement sensors, and in-vehicle cameras, all integrated into one single product.

"A real-time monitoring system was installed on the bus, which is used to keep an eye on abnormal?behavior by passengers and provide appropriate intervention, in an effort to ensure?travel safety," a technician at DeepBlue said.

Also on show at the branch venue were unmanned retail vehicles which can increase efficiency?and get products into customers' hands very quickly.

"The event helps dispel?public?misgivings about unmanned driving, and enables the public to have a positive and?open?attitude?toward driverless?technology," said Fan Xiaoxu, director of the Strategy and Planning Department of the Shanghai Manufacturing Innovation Center (Intelligent Connected Vehicles).