(Yicai) Dec. 10 -- Deep Robotics has secured more than CNY500 million (USD70.7 million) to support the Chinese startup’s plans to scale up the research, production, and widespread industrial deployment of its embodied artificial intelligence robots.

The Series C fundraiser was co-led by China Merchants Bank International and China Asset Management, with funds under China Telecom and China Unicom also taking part, Deep Robotics said yesterday. Investors also included Yunhui Capital, China Fortune-Tech Capital, Zhejiang University Education Foundation, Shoucheng Capital, and several existing shareholders.

“We will take this financing as an opportunity to advance embodied AI technology from 'isolated breakthroughs' towards 'system-level empowerment,' enabling robots to truly become intelligent assistants across all industries, contributing to the Chinese solution for the embodied AI industry," said founder and Chief Executive Zhu Qiuguo.

Deep Robotics specializes in embodied AI, robots that combine physical mobility with perception, decision-making, and autonomous action. Its products, which include robot dogs and humanoids, are being used for power-grid inspection, industrial maintenance, security patrols, emergency response, and other scenarios that are dangerous, remote, or otherwise difficult for humans.

The Hangzhou-based company will "continue to increase R&D investment, attract more outstanding talent, and further strengthen the development of both quadruped and humanoid robots," Zhu pointed out.

Deep Robotics raised CNY500 million in July in a financing round led by Fortune Venture Capital and CRHC Fund, a unit of state-owned China Reform Holdings, to bolster its position in quadruped robotics and speed up the research and development of humanoid and other advanced robots.

The latest fundraiser provides substantial capital for R&D, production expansion, and market development, while also cementing partnerships with backers that bring strong industrial resources to "promote the commercialization and large-scale adoption of embodied intelligent robots across all sectors," Deep Robotics said.

Established in 2017, Deep Robotics has launched a number of hit products this year. In April, it unveiled the Lnyx M20, a wheel-legged robot dog designed for complex terrains and hazardous environments, while debuting the DR02, an industry-grade, all-weather android in October. 

The company has also developed the visual-language embodied navigation system DeepVLA 1.0 to support the deployment of robots in various scenarios.

Editor: Martin Kadiev