SANITATION workers in Shanghai beware: Your jobs might be at risk from a new road-sweeping robot that is currently under development at Tongji University.

　　The state-of-the-art machine, which is jam-packed with sensors and circuitry, and uses the Beidou satellite system to navigate, is being designed by a team led by Professor Wei Xuezhe, deputy dean of the university’s school of automotive studies.

　　“The sweeper can deal with 95 percent of situations by itself,” Wei said yesterday at a press conference organized by the Shanghai Education Commission to promote the upcoming China International Industry Fair at which the sweeper is set to make its debut.

　　“Only when it fails to recognize an obstacle does it need help from a technician based in the control room,” he said.

　　The sweeper, which in the interests of the environment is powered by lithium batteries, is currently being put through its paces at the university’s Jiading District, and talks are under way with local sanitation bureaus, Wei said.

　　“We hope our product will soon make it on to the city’s streets,” he said.

　　He did not comment on the possibility of job losses in the sector.

　　Li Guihong, who works for a sanitation company in Xuhui District, however, said she welcomed the new machine.

　　“Our company employs several sweeper drivers, but if one of them calls in sick I have to do the job myself,” she said.

　　“With a robotic machine, I could control it without having to leave my office,” she said.

　　Tongji’s sweeper will be among 650 innovative products from Chinese and foreign universities that are scheduled to go on display at the fair, which runs from November 3-7 at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center.