Rising Robotic Startups Push Toward Industry Forefront

They don't have high-profile names like Agibot or Unitree in the robotics industry, but lesser-known startups in Shanghai are emerging as players to watch. Up-and-comers OyMotion Technologies, DroidUp, Lynxaura and Keenon Robotics were among the local companies highlighting new development trends at the Global Developer Pioneers Summit in Shanghai.

The event, which ended on Sunday, drew nearly 50,000 developers from 500 companies and institutions. A robotic skills competition was a major draw card as makers of robots put their creations through rigorous tests of intelligence, adaptability, stability and task execution. Industry leaders Shanghai-based Agibot and Hangzhou-based Unitree staged a rare synchronized robotic performance.

But smaller companies in one of China's big emerging sectors also caught a lot of attention.

OYMotion, a maker of dexterous hands for robots, showcased applications for scenarios such as supermarket stocking. It also presented innovations in brain-computer interfaces and rehabilitation, including smart exoskeleton devices that may help crippled stroke patients one day.

Globally, the dexterous hand market size is forecast to hit US$8 billion this year. OyMotion secured 100 million yuan (US$14.2 million) in a financing in November.

Shanghai-based DroidUp exhibited lightweight, high-endurance robots, with one model weighing only 32 kilograms, light enough to run a marathon. DroidUp also specializes in humanoid features, including high-fidelity eyeballs and sophisticated expression tracking, as demonstrated in the operatic performance.

Xi'an-based Sefu Energy also caught attention for its high-endurance batteries designed, for example, for use in robot dogs operated in high-elevations or other cold climates.

Shanghai Keenon Robotics, which has deployed 100,000 robots globally for food delivery, cleaning and disinfection, noted that its stable, wheel-based delivery robots now cost about 10,000 yuan, achieving a two-month payback period. The wheel design for humanoid are more practical in most scenes now, especially with lightweight and stability advantages, according to Keenon.

Among the application trends at the robotics event were robots specially designed to provide emotional companionship to humans.

Shenzhen-listed Jinke Tom Culture Industry showcased its Talking Tom cat, an AI-integrated toy that can communicate with children. Its starting cost is 1,499 yuan.

AiMoon, developed by Shanghai startup Lynxaura, targets China's 240 million single adults, particularly young women aged 18-35. Designed as the market's first "zodiac" companion robot, it utilizes personal data and horoscope analysis to offer tailored advice to users, including those who may ask the question, "When will my next romance come?"

China's AI toy market is estimated to reach 29 billion yuan in value this year, accounting for 30 percent of entire toy market, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. By 2030, it is projected to account for 47 percent of the total toy market, with a value of 85 billion yuan.

It's no surprise at the Global Developer Pioneers Summit was held in Shanghai, a city that prides itself on robotics leadership and has ambitions to create a 50 billion yuan embodied intelligence industry.

Municipal policies are encouraging the sector's growth. The Pudong New Area has unveiled support for AI entrepreneurship and announced the creation of the Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town. The city has released 10 priority markets for application scenarios.

Additionally, the Shanghai Humanoid Robot Pilot Production Alliance was established to create a smooth process from laboratory prototypes to mature product marketing.

Yao Qizhi, a 2000 Turing Award winner and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, emphasized the need for critical leaps in embodied intelligence development – from imitation to reasoning, from data scarcity to data abundance, from components to full-body coordination, and from independent development to unified evaluation.