As morning light sweeps across Shenzhen's skyline, the skyscrapers that have replaced the old fishing boats gleam in the sun. At the city's core, the "Pioneering Bull" stands as a testament to the city's relentless innovation and drive — qualities that have shaped its evolution into a global hub since its designation as China's first special economic zone 45 years ago.

"Technological innovation is not only a defining feature of Shenzhen, but also its flagship brand. From the government to businesses and individuals, the city attaches great importance to advancing innovation," said Zhang Lin, head of the city's science, technology and innovation bureau.

According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics late last year, Shenzhen's total research and development investment reached 223.66 billion yuan ($32.7 billion) in 2023, up 18.9 percent year-on-year — marking nine consecutive years of double-digit growth.

Notably, local enterprises contributed 93.3 percent of the total number, the highest share among all Chinese cities.

Among Shenzhen SEZ's many innovative trailblazers is Orbbec, Asia's first company to mass-produce 3D vision sensors.

Known as the "eyes" of robots, these sensors give machines the ability to perceive complex environments, avoid obstacles with precision, and navigate autonomously.

Like many cutting-edge technologies, advances in robotics and AI vision rely on heavy investment in fundamental research and development.

According to the company, between 2022 and the first half of this year, Orbbec invested nearly 1 billion yuan in R&D. As a result, it had secured 1,112 patents in 3D vision perception by the end of June 2025.

"From core sensor technologies to underlying chips and downstream application algorithms, we have built a full-stack layout for 3D sensing. This is the key to sustaining our competitiveness in the field," said Chen Bin, chief financial officer of Orbbec.

Chen said Shenzhen's innovation-driven environment, well-established industrial ecosystem and rich talent pool built over the years have all provided strong momentum for the company's growth.

"In fact, when we chose Shenzhen at the very beginning, it was because of the city's strong atmosphere of pioneering and innovation. We usually require talent across multiple fields such as chips, algorithms, electronics, engineering and more. Decades of accumulation in Shenzhen have created fertile ground for attracting such professionals."