A state-backed round, four times over
According to 36Kr, Shenzhen MaiBot Robotics Technology, known as MaiBot, recently completed a new strategic financing round of nearly RMB 100 million, with CSC Financial, a state-backed institution, as the investor. After the round, MaiBot accelerates product iteration and the commercial rollout of frontier directions such as brain-computer interfaces, while pushing to cover the last mile of rehabilitation from hospital to community to home.
The company had already won recognition from a slate of top investors. Lenovo Capital backed it across four consecutive rounds, alongside Taiyou Fund, Sihuan Pharma, Xingchen Fund, Dening Industrial and Shangshan Capital.
A medical-rehabilitation exoskeleton, since 2016
MaiBot’s website shows it was founded in 2016 by a returnee PhD team as a provider of medical-rehabilitation exoskeleton products and solutions. 36Kr reports the new chief executive, Chen Kangning, previously worked at multinationals including Johnson and Johnson, with deep experience across product registration, channel building and full-chain commercialisation.
Since inception MaiBot has focused on its core lane, building a diversified product matrix around flexible-actuator human-machine interaction: the H series, A series, C-series children’s lower-limb rehabilitation, the Sanqianbu wellness series and the daily-assist MAX series, covering in-hospital rehab, home wellness and daily mobility.
The category is exploding
The Sanqianbu wellness series breaks the single-scene, venue-bound limits of walking exercise, using lightweight, portable and human-centred design across hospital, community, park and home, helping users build a daily 3,000-step brisk-walk habit and sharply lowering the bar to wellness exercise. The company holds more than 200 patents, its core products have NMPA Class II medical-device certification, and they have entered the market in volume.
In 2025 MaiBot’s performance grew nearly 200 per cent, with overseas markets contributing more than a third. Industry observers broadly agree 2025 was the breakout year for exoskeletons. A once-niche, high-barrier device rapidly penetrated consumer and rehabilitation segments and became a hot lane.
IDC data shows China’s exoskeleton market exceeded RMB 1.6 billion in 2025 with about 26,000 units shipped. Medical rehabilitation led the market value. The consumer-assist segment was the bright spot, contributing more than 70 per cent of shipments and the core increment.
Policy, market and consumer tailwinds at once
In 2026 the heat kept climbing. Ministry of Commerce data shows domestic smart-exoskeleton demand rose 458.4 per cent in the first half of the year, and JD Retail’s big-data statistics show transaction volume up more than 15,000 per cent over the same period, with consumer demand activated. On the policy side, the National Healthcare Security Administration’s 15th Five-Year plan for universal medical insurance explicitly promotes intelligent exoskeletons and similar devices in long-term care.
The triple dividend of policy, market and consumption is pushing exoskeletons toward commercialisation, from niche black tech to a rehabilitation necessity. The domestic exoskeleton industry is still in a fast-iterating growth stage, and whoever achieves a technology breakthrough and scaled landing first is worth watching.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original OFweek Robotics report. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience.