BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the highlights of China's key technology news from the past week:

BEIDOU SATELLITES

China will send six to eight new satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space this year, according to the 10th China Satellite Navigation Conference that opened in Beijing on May 22.

Two to four BDS-3 satellites will be launched in 2020 when the BDS-3 system will be fully completed, said Ran Chengqi, director of the China Satellite Navigation Office.

LASER DEVICE

Researchers from China and Canada have developed a new highly targeted laser device to close blood vessels within human tissue.

The device, using an ultrafast infrared laser beam, allows imaging of living tissue up to about 400 microns for skin tissue and one millimeter for brain tissue.

It has the potential to diagnose diseases including skin cancer and perform precise surgery without cutting the skin.

FLOATING AIRSHIP

China's self-developed floating airship that is used in the second comprehensive scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reached a record altitude of 7,003 meters in Tibet Autonomous Region on May 23.

Developed by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the floating airship named "Jimu No. 1" has a volume of 2,300 cubic meters. It can carry scientific instruments to conduct upper air observation and collect weather data.

AI PILOT ZONE

Shanghai announced Saturday that it will build a pilot zone for the new-generation innovation and development of artificial intelligence (AI).

According to local authorities, he pilot zone,the second in China after Beijing, will focus on AI in medical care and health, smart transportation and smart communities.