Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (HKAITRI) industrial laboratory has landed at MerRIND, jointly building a robot lubrication digitization innovation platform
A seed breaking through the soil is not just a momentary breakthrough in germination, but also requires endogenous strength to break through the soil layer, withstand external environmental pressure, deeply root down, and continue to grow. MerRIND's layout of domestic substitution of high-end lubricating oil for industrial robots is a vivid epitome of hard technology's "seed breaking", and is highly compatible with HKAITRI's promotion of "AI+manufacturing" and the direction of integrating industry, academia, research and application.

For a long time, the high-end lubrication market for industrial robot reducers has been monopolized by overseas brands. Although lubricating grease only accounts for a small proportion of the overall cost, it directly determines the precision of robot joints and the lifespan of reducers, and is a key "small material" in the intelligent manufacturing industry chain. Meruida, as a seed of the industry, has already possessed the basic ability to break through the soil: deeply cultivating formula research and development, developing fully synthetic lubrication products for harsh working conditions such as RV, harmonic reducer overload, and anti micro motion wear, completing a large number of on-site production line verifications, benchmarking the performance of imported products, and ushering in the era of domestic substitution.

But breaking through the soil does not mean growing into a big tree, there are still three practical tests on the road to growth. One is the technical layer: high-end lubrication relies on additive systems and massive long-term operating data, and cannot rely solely on laboratory indicators. Continuous durability pilot testing and on-site verification are needed; The second is the market layer: complete machine factories and manufacturing enterprises have long formed import path dependence, and domestic materials entering the supply chain have to go through a long trial and assessment period; The third is the rooting of the industrial chain: it cannot simply sell oil products, but must extend to oil monitoring and equipment predictive maintenance, integrating materials, operating condition data, and intelligent operation and maintenance services.

This is exactly where HKAITRI can work together. The country has clearly promoted the integration of artificial intelligence and manufacturing, encouraged the establishment of public technology platforms, and assisted small and medium-sized enterprises in their low-cost intelligent transformation. HKAITRI is based in Xiangjiang and linked to the Greater Bay Area, building a collaborative platform for industry academia research in the physical manufacturing industry. On the one hand, it conducts research on industrial intelligence, oil big data, and predictive maintenance, combining AI technology with physical scenarios of friction lubrication to help MerRIND convert on-site working condition data into reusable models and judgment systems, filling the data gap of domestic materials; On the other hand, it links academic, industrial, and consulting resources to provide trend analysis, technology integration, and scenario implementation support for hard technology enterprises, helping domestic key supporting materials bridge the gap from samples to industrialization.

AI, as a new type of production factor empowering the real economy, is not only reflected in the large models themselves, but also permeates in segmented industrial chain links such as robot lubrication and equipment operation and maintenance. The research institute focuses on the industrial reality behind technological changes, not only studying cutting-edge theories, but also rooted in the real pain points of the manufacturing industry, accompanying hard technology seed enterprises like MerRIND to complete the entire process from breaking ground, rooting to growth, and helping the industry chain and supply chain to strengthen independently.

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About HK-AITRI
Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research Institute is affiliated with Hong Kong AI Technology Development Limited and was founded by alumni of the School of Data Science at Lingnan University with a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence Research (DAIS). The company has research institutes, AI industry laboratories, institute enterprise cooperation, and production research demonstration institutions. The research institute adheres to the cooperation concept of openness, innovation, integrity, intelligence, friendship, diversity, and inclusiveness, and constructs a project-based, flexible, and win-win business cooperation model to jointly promote the implementation of industrial AI applications with partners. Based in Hong Kong, with the mission of "empowering the real economy with AI and driving sustainable development with technology", we are committed to becoming a bridge connecting cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology with industrial application needs.