The Belt

Ex-Baidu autonomous-driving test chief raises a nine-figure Series A for a Physical-AI data base

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Robot Forward reported on 9 September that Beijing Physical-AI data-base company WuWen ZhiKe has closed a Series A of several hundred million yuan. The round was led by Hongtai Fund, with Hongshan Capital, Zhongdian Shurong and Lion City Capital following, and existing shareholders Bridge Capital, Lihe Financial, Lihe Zhongke and Chengkai Lingcheng oversubscribing; Shneng Capital … Read more

August saw 56 embodied-robotics rounds in China, and the money moved from bodies to brains

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Funding heat in embodied intelligence shows no sign of cooling. Gasgoo Embodied counts 56 disclosed financing events in China’s embodied-robotics and core-component space in August. The largest single round came from XPeng’s robot unit at more than US$900 million, a record for a single private equity round in China’s embodied-intelligence sector. Sharpa disclosed its first … Read more

NIO president Qin Lihong: the range-extender boom is fading and pure electric will pass 50 per cent within a year

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In the first half of 2026, China’s car market moved through pressure and change at once. Domestic passenger-car registrations fell about 20 per cent year on year, even as close to 500 new models launched. With supply and demand out of step, a new car’s hot-selling window shrank sharply, and the average industry profit margin … Read more

JD unveils six Wolf robots from warehouse to pharmacy at its 2026 technology summit

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Robot Forward reported on 9 September that at the JDD 2026 JD Global Technology Explorer Conference, JD pointed the next decade of AI at the physical world. Cao Peng, chairman of JD’s technology committee and president of JD Cloud, said the smart economy will migrate from the digital world to the physical world over the … Read more

Xiaoyu Zhizao closes its third round of 2026 as factories, not funds, lead its cap table

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Xiaoyu Zhizao (Xiaoyu Intelligent) has closed a several-hundred-million-yuan round, its third of 2026, with Blooming Star, Singapore’s Kamet Capital and Guoke Yingfeng Fund among the investors, Gasgoo Embodied has learned. The round follows a several-hundred-million-yuan B round in February led by Huaye Tiancheng and a several-hundred-million-yuan B+ round in May backed by BAIC Capital, Fosun … Read more

A Shenzhen electronics factory runs on automation and treats its 60 disabled workers as ordinary staff

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On 9 September, a visit to the Junlian Electronics plant in Longhua, Shenzhen, revealed nothing unusual at first glance. The workshop ran in good order, and workers on the line handled fine connection wires and harnesses that will be used in new-energy vehicles, robots, smart-home devices and even 3D printers. Behind the brands Huawei, DJI, … Read more

Qianjue closes a several-hundred-million-yuan A+ round to build the shared brain for every robot form

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Qianjue Technology has closed a several-hundred-million-yuan A+ round, with Yuanhe Houwang, Xiaoguang Capital, XinNeng Venture, Inno Angel, Jingming Capital and Future Margin among the market and industry backers, Gasgoo Embodied has learned. The company says the round will fund core technology research, engineering build-out and real-world deployment, pushing its robot intelligence into more body types … Read more

Shenzhen embodied-intelligence startup PHYMI closes a near-US$100 million seed round led by IDG

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Robot Forward reported on 9 September that Feimo Yi Technology, operating as PHYMI, has closed a near-US$100 million seed round. The round was led by IDG Capital, with Yunqi Capital, Didi Chuxing, Fosun Ruiheng, Yaotu Capital and the lidar maker Hesai Technology joining as follow-on investors. From autonomous driving to the physical world The company … Read more

Shenzhen robotics brands take IFA Berlin 2026 by storm with humanoids, exoskeletons and lawn robots built for Europe

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From 4 to 8 September, the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin 2026 (IFA 2026) was held in Berlin. As one of the three largest consumer-electronics shows in the world, IFA is the core platform where global technology brands launch products and show off results, and a barometer for industry trends. This year’s theme was ‘The Future is … Read more

XPeng closes a US$900 million robot round and rolls its first humanoid off an in-house line

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XPeng’s robot business has moved a step closer to volume production. On 8 September XPeng’s own line completed automated final assembly of its first high-end general-purpose humanoid, and the machine walked off the line by itself, marking the shift from research build to line manufacturing. XPeng IRON humanoid on the company’s newly opened automated assembly … Read more