Robotics capital moves — 21–27 September 2026
Funding rounds, acquisitions and other capital transactions across robotics, autonomous systems and their enabling technologies.
Major funding rounds
ChiXin Semiconductor completed a Series A+ exceeding RMB200 million, led by Yanpu Precision with Jinsha Shengshi, Quectel and Lushan Holdings participating. The investors plan to cooperate on automotive chip adoption and embodied-intelligence applications, while ChiXin will expand research and accelerate product production and iteration.
The company develops ultra-wideband chips that provide precise spatial positioning and sensing. Its CX100, CX310 and CX500 families are already in mass production and shipping into consumer electronics, connected devices, automotive and industrial markets. The investment supports extending that sensing technology into physical AI systems that need to determine where objects and devices are in their surroundings.
Midcentury emerged from stealth and disclosed a $15 million seed round to develop data and simulation infrastructure for physical AI. The company reported more than two million hours of first-person activity data spanning over 50 environments and 20,000 tasks. Those figures describe its own data collection claims, rather than demonstrated robot performance.
Its Matrix simulation platform is intended to let developers evaluate robot behaviour and improve control policies through post-training before deploying them on physical hardware. Midcentury opened early access to the platform as part of the launch, connecting human demonstration data with simulated testing of robot skills.
Zhongyi Embodied completed an angel round of nearly RMB100 million, led by a shareholder of Anda Intelligence, with Shengang Hengtian and Beijing Junge Rui participating. The proceeds will support core embodied-intelligence technology, product development and recruitment.
Its Tiangongji platform combines robot rental, application development, maintenance and supply services, connecting hardware from more than 40 robot manufacturers. Zhongyi also develops cloud and edge software for managing and coordinating different brands of robots in tourism, buildings and inspection. The company reported maintenance and rental orders approaching RMB100 million; that operating order figure is separate from the capital raised.
Realset AI and Flatkey announced a joint $10 million Series A to expand a network capturing skilled people performing real tasks. The funding supports more workplace and studio environments, expert demonstrators and evaluations of AI systems operating outside laboratory settings.
Realset’s robotics data includes first-person and third-person recordings, bimanual teleoperation, stereo video, inertial measurements and action logs from homes, warehouses and assembly lines. It turns these demonstrations into annotated training material for vision-language-action models. A planned household-manipulation benchmark will evaluate folding, loading, sorting and wiping, with initial results expected in Q4 2026.
TacnIQ.ai secured $1.5 million from lead investor In Group Holdings as part of a planned $3 million pre-seed round. The secured capital will fund its tactile foundation models, engineering recruitment and commercial deployments; the announcement does not say the full $3 million round is complete.
The Singapore company turns signals generated through physical contact into data that machines can interpret and act on. It reports more than 5,000 hours of tactile interactions gathered from experiments and commercial use and paying customers across logistics, construction, e-commerce, hospitality and healthcare. Sensor nodes used for workplace safety and ergonomics also collect training data, connecting current applications with development of models for a broader range of physical tasks.
Sivy Perception completed an angel financing of tens of millions of RMB from MiraclePlus, Lingyi Ventures and Pengchen Investment. Yiwei Capital acted as exclusive financial adviser. Founded in May 2025, the company is developing sensing and computing systems for devices that need to process environmental information locally.
Its technology combines neuromorphic sensing chips, spiking neural networks and a system architecture linking perception, decisions and action. Processing is triggered by discrete signal events, with the aim of reducing energy consumption and response delays in embodied hardware. Its ASC-01 spike-encoding chip had completed tape-out, packaging, power-on and testing by the financing announcement; those milestones establish a tested chip, without implying full-scale commercial production.
Xihe Robotics completed its first financing of tens of millions of RMB from Shenzhen High-Tech Investment. The proceeds will fund research, production capacity and deployment across grain depots in China, alongside ship-hold trials and overseas expansion.
The company develops grain-leveling robots for enclosed stores where dust, fumigation and unstable grain surfaces make manual work hazardous. Its system was developed with the Sinograin Chengdu Storage Research Institute and uses multiple robots to level stored grain. Xihe is extending that equipment into ports and bulk-grain ship holds and plans to combine it with inspection, monitoring and multi-robot scheduling.
Dahu Zhiyuan completed a Pre-A financing in the tens of millions of RMB, exclusively backed by Eagle Fund. The Beijing company develops food-service robots, including its Yuanhu AI automated jianbing machine. The September 24 announcement identifies the investor and financing stage without disclosing a precise amount.
Yuanhu automates preparation of the Chinese savoury pancake, applying robotic motion and ingredient-handling mechanisms to repetitive cooking operations. The company’s development also includes a two-degree-of-freedom SCARA arm and a solid-particle dispensing mechanism. The investment supports a business focused on bringing robotic food preparation into commercial service environments.
XianTu Origin completed a seed financing of tens of millions of RMB from Qifu Capital, with ScalePartners serving as financial adviser. The company was founded in 2026 by a team originating in the National University of Defense Technology robotics laboratory.
Its development focuses on quadruped robots for specialist work in hazardous environments and mobile manipulators for industrial sites. These two platforms combine movement through a site with the ability to perform physical work, placing the company’s early development around specific operational tasks.
ForgeAI, the English brand of Fangqi Technology, completed an angel financing of tens of millions of RMB with TusStar Ventures among the investors. The proceeds will support its semantic world model, robot-learning methods and application trials, with the aim of developing skills that can transfer across different robot bodies.
The Beijing company connects a cloud model with task agents on robots and converts human demonstrations into reusable robot skills. Its initial commercial work includes cleaning pilots with UDI Robot and Jiangsu Longhuan and a property-services trial in Tianjin Eco-city. Cleaning provides repeated grasping, wiping and waste-retrieval tasks for development of its skill library. The company plans both integrated robot delivery and software subscriptions for robot manufacturers.
Additional funding rounds
Bairui Zhixin completed an angel financing of tens of millions of RMB, co-led by Chengdu Gaoke Minshan Pilot Fund, Chengdu Future Industry Angel Investment Fund and Chengdu Financial City Capital. The capital will fund sensor modules, development of its fast and slow control systems, and research hiring.
The company combines event cameras with spiking neural networks to measure deformation and contact through visual tactile sensors. It reports processing delays below 20 milliseconds at around 0.1 watt using an edge CPU. Its control architecture separates rapid responses, such as correcting grip after detecting slip, from slower task planning. Commercial work includes a Changhong service-robot programme and a partnership with Chuanjiu Group on sensing in non-standard brewing processes.
Fanbot announced an angel financing in the ten-million-RMB range. The Shenzhen company is developing companion robots around its multimodal MoodLLM model, with a focus on psychological coaching and emotional interaction for students. The announcement did not name the investors.
Its product plans span humanoids, robot dogs and portable pet-like robots, connected to models that interpret interaction and physical signals. Fanbot describes subscriptions, software services, customised solutions and model licensing as potential revenue channels. The financing supports a company building an integrated hardware and software offering; the announcement does not establish clinical efficacy for its proposed psychological applications.
O-ID raised a $1.2 million pre-seed round led by TAWANI Ventures, with Hustle Fund, Techstars and angel investors participating. The capital will support moving its modular humanoid from prototype toward production and initial use in Japanese manufacturing and logistics.
Its robot design uses replaceable joints, limbs, compute modules and end effectors so equipment can be serviced at the worksite. The company develops and manufactures in Japan and plans later expansion into the United States. It has signed a letter of intent with Sumitomo Electric to discuss possible use of wire-harness technology; that exploratory agreement is separate from a confirmed supply order or deployment.
Redefine Surgery closed an oversubscribed pre-seed financing, bringing cumulative capital raised to $10 million. The company did not disclose the size of this round separately. Its investor base is predominantly surgeons, and proceeds will support development of its surgical-intelligence platform.
Catalyst OrthoScience joined as a founding partner for shoulder arthroplasty applications. Redefine combines computer vision, AI and robotic assistance in a portable system intended to work across surgical instruments and workflows while retaining surgeon control. Procedure recordings and clinical input support model training and validation. The platform remains in development, with commercialisation subject to readiness and regulatory clearance.
Yansyn announced financing led by Fuchuang Fund, with Yucheng Holdings participating. The announcement did not specify the amount or round. Proceeds will support facial-expression technology, upgrades to its hybrid-drive system and integration with humanoid robot manufacturers.
The company develops expressive robotic heads and emotional-interaction systems. Its Yansyn-X2 Xirui head combines biomimetic facial actuation with microfluidic tears, giving robot manufacturers a head module for communicating through facial movement. Previously disclosed RMB11 million in talent-programme grants is separate from this investment.
Strategic investments
SoftBank invested $225 million in Autonomous Solutions, Inc. and separately capitalised a joint venture to develop and commercialise autonomous construction equipment for large infrastructure projects. ASI did not disclose the amount committed specifically to the joint venture. The $225 million investment will expand ASI’s commercial operations across the broader construction market.
ASI’s Mobius platform coordinates autonomous heavy equipment across different manufacturers, including haul trucks, dozers, loaders and compactors. The joint venture will apply that mixed-fleet technology to construction and material handling on projects such as roads, airports and railways, allowing existing equipment brands to work together under a shared orchestration system.
Baiyang Pharmaceutical’s board approved a proposal for its subsidiary to exercise warrants for 15.2 million Series E-1 shares in ZAP Medical, the parent behind ZAP Surgical’s ZAP-X platform, at $0.723 per share. The proposed investment totals approximately $11 million; the announcement does not establish that the subscription has completed.
The exercise would increase Baiyang’s combined indirect interest to 20.86% on a fully diluted basis. It builds on the group’s Chinese distribution rights and manufacturing cooperation around ZAP-X, a robotic radiosurgery system for brain tumours and lesions. Baiyang says the increased stake is intended to strengthen participation in the partnership and support stable long-term supply.
Reported and pending acquisitions
Cognex / RealSense
Approximately $500MCognex signed a definitive agreement to acquire RealSense for approximately $500 million, funded from existing cash and investments. Closing is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions. Separate employee-retention arrangements comprise a three-year cash programme of $56.5 million at target and approximately $50 million of restricted stock units.
RealSense’s depth cameras and perception technology help robot arms, mobile robots, quadrupeds and humanoids measure and navigate their surroundings. Spun out of Intel in 2025, it expects $80–90 million in 2026 revenue. Cognex plans to combine that robotics perception business with its industrial machine vision and global customer network. RealSense will separate its facial-authentication product line into an independent company before the acquisition closes.
Qualcomm / PickNik
UndisclosedQualcomm agreed to acquire PickNik Robotics, developer of the commercial MoveIt Pro platform and a longtime steward of the open-source MoveIt manipulation framework. Financial terms were not disclosed. The announcement establishes an agreement to acquire the company, without announcing completion.
MoveIt provides software for planning and controlling robot manipulation. Qualcomm intends to integrate MoveIt, MoveIt Pro and future PickNik technologies more closely with its Dragonwing robotics platforms and Arduino hardware, connecting robot software with edge AI and heterogeneous computing. The company says MoveIt 1 and MoveIt 2 will remain open source, community-driven and supported across third-party hardware.
Reported and pending financings
Nauticus Robotics signed a non-binding letter of intent with a strategic investor contemplating an equity placement of up to $50 million. The investor has no obligation to fund it, and the proposal remains subject to due diligence, definitive agreements, approvals and closing conditions.
The company develops autonomous subsea vehicles and control software for ocean infrastructure inspection, data collection and manipulation. It offers robotic services, equipment and software licensing, including upgrades to conventional remotely operated vehicles. The proposed financing would support its commercial objectives while the board evaluates the transaction and considers engaging an independent adviser.
Listings and IPO filings
Direct Drive Technology launched a Hong Kong offering of 50 million H shares at HK$21.60 each, implying HK$1.08 billion in proposed gross proceeds before expenses and any over-allotment. Its prospectus estimated net proceeds of HK$982.5 million. Trading was scheduled for September 29, so the offering remained a pending listing at this edition’s September 27 cutoff.
The company makes actuator modules, embodied-intelligence joints and wheel-legged robots, including Diablo and TITA. It planned to allocate 50% of net proceeds to research and development, 20% to partner and sales networks, 20% to production and 10% to working capital. These investments support both its component business and complete robotic systems.
Camsense launched a Hong Kong IPO offering 11,588,800 H shares at HK$58.85 each, implying approximately HK$682 million in gross proceeds before expenses and any over-allotment. The prospectus estimated HK$615.4 million in net proceeds. These were offering estimates rather than completed fundraising at the historical cutoff.
The company supplies LiDAR and spatial-perception hardware used in robot vacuums and other autonomous devices to measure surroundings and support navigation. It planned to use 65% of net proceeds to strengthen research and development, 25% to improve manufacturing capacity and the remainder for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Orbbec filed an application for an H-share listing in Hong Kong, adding a proposed overseas listing to its existing Shanghai STAR Market listing. The application proof did not establish an offer price or fundraising amount. Filing an application is a preparatory step, with review and an eventual offering still to follow.
Orbbec develops 3D vision sensors and application devices that give robots and other connected equipment depth information about their surroundings. Its filing reported more than 7,000 customers, including over 1,000 robotics companies, through June 2026. A commissioned market study cited in the application attributed 29% of the global robot 3D-vision perception market by 2025 revenue to the company.
PaXini registered for IPO counselling with Guotai Haitong on September 20, according to original reporting published the following day. Counselling prepares a company for a potential domestic listing; it does not establish an approved offer, completed listing or capital raised.
The company develops tactile sensors, dexterous hands and humanoid robotics systems, using contact sensing to give machines information about the objects they manipulate. It planned to establish a Beijing headquarters by year-end while retaining production in Shenzhen. The registration concerns a possible public-market route and is separate from its private financing history.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange terminated its review of Fine Motion’s proposed STAR Market IPO after the company and sponsor GF Securities requested withdrawal. The exchange had accepted the application in November 2024. Its September 21 decision ends that application process and does not represent a completed financing.
Fine Motion manufactures RV reducers and robot-joint components used to transmit torque and provide controlled movement in industrial robots. Withdrawal closes the proposed public-market fundraising route described in the application; the previously reported fundraising target must not be counted as capital received.
Private funding disclosures
Feather Robotics publicly launched its developer platform alongside disclosure of a completed $7.6 million pre-seed financing led by Gradient Ventures. Builder Capital, Geometry, SEED Innovations and Virgo VC participated. SEED’s investor announcement confirms that the financing used a SAFE and included its previously disclosed $1 million investment, which converts at a future qualifying round or liquidity event subject to a $60 million valuation cap.
Feather’s modular robot platform is designed for third-party developers to customise hardware and build applications on top of it. The company reported its first order within nine months of development and more than $1 million in revenue, including customers in manufacturing and food service. The capital supports the hardware and developer ecosystem behind those deployments. The launch disclosure does not establish that all the financing was newly received that week.
Parallel Robotics
Parallel Robotics disclosed $7.31 million of securities sold toward an $11.31 million offering in a September 21 Form D. The filing reports an August 28 first sale and 32 investors. Approximately $4 million remained available in the offering, so the disclosed sales do not establish that the full target had been raised.
The Ann Arbor surgical-robotics developer is led by Shorya Awtar. Its research combines human-powered manipulation with computer control, aiming to retain dexterity and haptic sensation in a less complicated surgical system. A separate NSF-supported project covers preclinical prototypes, mechatronic controls and surgeon evaluation in simulated procedures. The securities filing records financing activity around that development programme without assigning a named venture-round stage.
Cumulative funding disclosures
XIRRA disclosed consecutive seed and angel financings totaling several hundred million RMB, led by Dunhong Asset Management. Participants included Huakong Fund, Sanhua Holding, Ginkgo Valley Capital, Zeran Capital, Benjian Fund, Angel Cornerstone and Biaopu Investment. The company reported a $500 million valuation; that company value is separate from the capital raised across the two rounds.
The company develops a physics foundation model intended to predict how environments change and support robot action planning during continuous tasks. The financing will support model pretraining, collection of real physical-interaction data, recruitment and application validation. Its development centres on a model of physical behaviour that could underpin different robot bodies and operating environments.
Mars Landing disclosed two consecutive financings totaling tens of millions of RMB, with Leaguer, Optics Valley Financial Holding, Ruijiang Investment and Wuhan Hi-Tech participating and MiraclePlus returning. The announcement combines two rounds without assigning a separate amount to either one.
The Wuhan company develops a spatial-intelligence architecture intended to organise robot memory, task state, skills and feedback during extended autonomous work. Its initial targets include underground spaces, tunnels, forests and emergency environments, where connectivity, positioning and operating conditions can change during a task. The development aims to let machines retain context and recover from interruptions while using robot models for individual capabilities.
SemiDrive announced completion of C+ and C++ financings, bringing its 2026 C-series total to approximately RMB1 billion. Investors included Walden Technology, Shaanxi Investment Fund, Shaanxi Financial Assets and New Era Capital. The announcement gives the cumulative C-series amount without allocating a separate figure to the latest two tranches.
The company supplies automotive system-on-chips and microcontrollers for cockpits, gateways and vehicle control and is extending those capabilities into robot computing and motion control. It describes a chip stack spanning the robot’s high-level processing, motion coordination and joints. The proceeds will support core research and product commercialisation across automotive systems and embodied-intelligence devices. SemiDrive reported more than 14 million cumulative automotive-chip shipments at the announcement.