(Yicai) Aug. 12 -- Jiuding Investment’s shares surged by their daily trading limit for the second consecutive day after the Chinese private equity investment manager said it plans to buy a controlling stake in a robot components startup.

Jiuding Investment [SHA: 600053] jumped 10 percent to close at CNY19.67 (USD2.74) a share in Shanghai today. It added 10 percent yesterday as well. The stock has climbed 42 percent since the end of last year.

Jiuding Investment will 53.3 percent of Nanjing Bio-inspired Intelligent Technology, which develops force sensors for humanoid robots, for CNY213 million (USD29.6 million), the Shanghai-based company announced yesterday.

Through the deal, Jiuding Investment will enter a key segment of the robotics industry while helping NBIT improve its research and development investment and expand its technological advantages, it noted.

NBIT was founded by Dai Zhendong, a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. After the transaction is completed, Dai’s stake in the company will shrink to 37.5 percent, making him the second-largest shareholder.

NBIT is one of the few Chinese firms that can develop six-dimensional force sensors, key parts enabling humanoid robots to walk on complex terrains without falling, grasp objects without causing damage, and interact with humans without causing harm. Their development is essential to move robots out of laboratories into real-world settings.

According to unaudited data released by Jiuding Investment, NBIT logged operating revenue of CNY2.1 million (USD290,390) and a net loss of CNY5.7 million last year. In the first four months of this year, revenue shrank to CNY163,800 (USD22,780), with a net loss of CNY2.8 million. As of April 30, NBIT's net assets stood at CNY9.9 million (USD1.4 million).

Editor: Futura Costaglione