In a thrilling drone football match, teams maneuvered small, shielded drones to pass, intercept, and score goals, showcasing a blend of technology and sport. This event was part of the recent Guangdong (Dongguan) Application Scenario Innovation Conference, highlighting how real-world scenarios serve as a bridge between technology and industry, testing the integration of manufacturing and services while driving large-scale commercial adoption of new technologies.
The conference saw the opening of over 100 high-quality application scenarios, the signing of intent agreements with more than ten companies planning to establish operations locally, and the unveiling of several major innovation platforms. These initiatives aim to efficiently connect Dongguan’s market with global innovation resources. Under the theme “Intelligent Innovation Scenarios, Better Quality of Life,” Dongguan has set a goal to cultivate more than 200 high-value application scenarios within three years and develop at least five nationally influential “city signature” scenarios.
The city has also launched its first batch of scenario pilot zones, including the Nancheng R&A Park and the滨海湾 National AI Application Pilot Base, alongside initial scenario laboratories designed to act as testing grounds and incubators for innovation. By opening its scenario resources nationwide and globally, Dongguan is positioning itself as a “city-wide innovation hub” to promote the coordinated development of manufacturing and services.
One highlight was the participation of广东朱雀云辰航空科技有限公司, a low-altitude economy enterprise, which demonstrated its drone football technology. The company’s founder emphasized that while their technology is mature, practical application scenarios are crucial for turning innovation into service.
Addressing the challenge of translating innovation into specific implementations, Dongguan released a “Dual Hundred List” featuring 160 scenario opportunities and 104 scenario capabilities. This list opens local scenario resources to innovators worldwide, focusing on areas such as smart manufacturing and intelligent living. In smart manufacturing, opportunities include R&D scenarios for AI glasses, AI phones, and other smart hardware, promoting high-end, intelligent upgrades in the terminal equipment industry.
Low-altitude economy is another key focus, with over 40 related scenario opportunities covering logistics, patrols, law enforcement, and more, aiming to build a full industrial chain ecosystem. For traditional sectors like electronics and food processing, Dongguan introduced scenarios involving highly adaptable AI visual inspection and intelligent management of rice supply chains to advance digital transformation and green development.
In urban development and smart transportation, opportunities include integrated transport systems and intelligent city governance, such as the Hong Kong International Airport Dongguan Airfreight Center project and the integration of smart transport with low-altitude economy applications.
An accompanying exhibition illustrated these opportunities in tangible ways. In the AI terminal zone, an interactive companion toy called “Little Fun AI” drew crowds with its conversational skills and ability to assist in travel planning and social settings. This product is part of a full-chain “AI + Toys” solution developed with domestic high-performance AI computing modules and multimodal emotion-sensing models.
Nearby, a humanoid robot from Lingyi Zhaoyang interacted smoothly with visitors, while smart glasses from陆逊梯卡华宏 (Dongguan) Eyewear Co., Ltd. showcased wearable future tech.广东纳萨斯通信科技有限公司 presented drone monitoring products and anti-drone positioning systems, with its low-altitude safety supervision platform displaying real-time drone data for applications in public services, agriculture, and urban security.
These exhibits reflect Dongguan’s shift from leveraging its diverse manufacturing base to defining new application scenarios, helping businesses access markets and gain a competitive edge in technology adoption. The exhibition has relocated to the R&A Park and will run until March 29, featuring drone displays, city light shows, and drone football matches for public engagement.
A deeper question remains: how will these scenarios integrate into the city’s broader system? One answer lies in Dongguan’s ongoing development as a “Harmony City” (鸿蒙之城). A dedicated zone at the conference displayed Harmony-based solutions, from AI-assisted office systems to smart education ecosystems in local schools, illustrating a connected, intelligent urban environment.
Dongguan recently signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Huawei to advance the Harmony City initiative. A key figure in the Harmony ecosystem noted that the city’s strength lies in its robust manufacturing foundation, which supports the adoption of HarmonyOS across transportation, utilities, logistics, and industrial applications. By using an open-source Harmony platform as a unified digital base, Dongguan aims to integrate data from city management, industrial operations, and public services, driving systemic innovation.
In a related development, Dongguan’s waste treatment sector is entering a new phase. A project led by Dongguan Industrial Environment Group and弓叶科技有限公司—an innovative high-tech firm—introduces AI optical sorting technology to municipal solid waste management. This approach upgrades traditional waste transfer stations into AI sorting facilities, improving sorting accuracy to over 99.6% and reducing waste volume by 25–35%.
The project marks a shift from landfilling and incineration to an intelligent, resource-recovery model. Further innovation is underway, with the development of waste-sorting robots expected to operate continuously, improving both efficiency and worker safety. Additional smart sorting projects are planned across the city, scaling up AI applications in recycling and waste disposal to establish Dongguan as a model for smart, green, and efficient solid waste management.