Conveniently designed

"Whether invention or perfection, the importance is to make one item or one machine that offers greater convenience," he says.

Guo also invented a "picking" robot to harvest tomatoes or strawberries. Two cameras on the robot serve as its eyes, helping the robot to "see" the fruit, while a chip inside the machine acts as the "brain".

When the cameras collect the image and transfer it to the "brain", the chip will analyze the image, calculate the location and initiate the picking procedure.

A mechanical arm equipped with a pair of scissors will extend toward the fruit and gently cut it from the branch.

Li Lin, a graduate student in the same lab with Guo at the Ocean University of China, has known him since 2014 when Guo was invited to give a speech as a university alumnus at the opening ceremony of her bachelor's study.

"I still remember his advice was: Go to the lab as soon as possible, which I did," Li recalls.

"Working in a lab offers access to cutting-edge technology and allows us to practice our operational and problem-solving abilities, as what we do in the lab has sometimes not been tried before."

A fire detection robot made by Guo and his team. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lin always sees Guo in the lab. "Whether weekdays or weekends, he is there without fail and he often arrives earlier than us," she says.

Guo founded a startup with two friends when he obtained his bachelor's degree. They were focusing on making laboratory equipment.