"Sazhi Intelligence" has obtained tens of millions of yuan in Series A+ financing, achieving multi-scenario and modular applications of composite robots | HardcoreTech First Release

Author｜Huang Nan

Editor｜Yuan Silai

HardcoreTech has learned that Shanghai Saizhi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Saizhi Intelligent") has recently completed a tens of millions of yuan Series A+ round of financing. The investors in this round are Yuanhe Puhua and Sanyi Capital. The financing funds will be used to increase investment in humanoid robot technology research and development, product iteration, mass production, and basic expansion in overseas markets.

"Saizhi Intelligent" is an enterprise that HardcoreTech has been following for a long time. The company was established in 2017, focusing on intelligent mobile operation composite robots, dedicated to solving the攻克 and application of embodied intelligence series problems such as humanoid operations. It independently develops an integrated controller, core operating system, and algorithm library, which can complete key tasks in multiple scenarios such as multi-modal object deconstruction and assembly, flexible loading and unloading, natural-state disordered sorting, and intelligent manufacturing connection and handling, providing integrated intelligent solutions and services for the industry.

Composite robots have the characteristics of multi-functionality and flexibility. Different from mobile robots and industrial robots, the "mobile operation" is combined into one, with the comprehensive ability of "hands, feet, eyes, and brain" coordination, and has a wide application prospect.

According to data from Zhongshang Intelligence Network and others, from 2017 to 2022, the sales volume of composite robots in the Chinese market increased from 185 units to 1,169 units, with an average annual compound growth rate of nearly 45%. It is expected that this trend will continue to grow, and in the recent two years, it has shown an explosive trend, which is an inevitable stage in the development of humanoid robots.

Modularization and standardization are important trends in the current field of composite robots. "Saizhi Intelligent" is an enterprise that provides modular development and application earlier. Through modular design, composite robots can be rapidly expanded to adapt to the needs of different application scenarios more quickly, thereby improving the adaptability and generalization of robots, and reducing the cost of secondary development, production and manufacturing, and maintenance difficulty.

Take the automatic loading and unloading of CNC (numerical control) machine tools as an example. The fixture of CNC machine tools has extremely high requirements for positioning accuracy, and requires the robot to have the coordinated ability of "hands, eyes, and feet" and a unified algorithm to perform flexible and precise picking and placing work in a narrow environment. This is a process of the integration and coordination of the software and hardware system, requiring the robot to be able to interact with hundreds of machine tools, assembly lines, and other equipment in real-time.

Working simulation diagram of "Saizhi Intelligent" composite robot

Therefore, "Saizhi Intelligent" has developed a composite robot for the targeted loading and unloading scenarios for customers, using a central control management system to achieve docking with on-site machine tools and assembly lines, and complete the task scheduling of composite robots and other equipment. During this period, the composite robot often has a higher degree of autonomy in task planning and execution. According to the actual scene requirements, the central control system is used to visualize the management of the position and status of the materials, and replace the pallets and grippers that are more suitable for the agreed workpieces for work. At the same time, based on its self-developed core operating system, it supports the rapid calibration of grippers and vision, and can accurately identify and grasp the target samples.

The actual data performance shows that this loading and unloading composite robot can replace 2 manual labors per single unit and single shift, and can work 7 by 24 hours without human attendance, with an efficiency improvement of 60%.

Working simulation diagram of "Saizhi Intelligent" composite robot

With the continuous development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and sensors, composite robots tend to integrate multiple perception technologies such as vision, hearing, and touch, which can more comprehensively understand and perceive the surrounding environment, and make autonomous decisions according to task requirements. At the same time, based on the flexible and efficient requirements in multiple scenarios, "Saizhi Intelligent" supports seamless integration with systems such as ERP, MES, and WMS. The operation mode of the fixed production line equipment in the past can be flexibly changed according to the actual needs to achieve efficient collaboration and real-time management, and maximize the optimization of enterprise operations.

For example, in the filling line access, placement, and spot-check project, "Saizhi Intelligent" used 8 composite robots to take regular samples of dairy products on the filling line of a dairy enterprise and transport them to the laboratory for testing and storage. The central control system of its composite robot collects and stores the sampling, transportation, and testing data by interacting with the factory's existing MES and ERP. It can intelligently process the factory information, improve the sampling accuracy rate, and realize the traceability of the entire sampling process.

Facing multiple landing scenarios, Saizhi Intelligent adopts a modular approach to build hardware, software, and algorithm libraries, accumulate a standardized module resource library, and provide customers with different modules, personalized calls, and combination configurations. Zhang Jianzheng, CEO of "Saizhi Intelligent", told HardcoreTech, "Our composite robots are standardized and modular. We adopt a Lego-style in the deployment and combination. Through module building, the functional differences can be reflected, which can adapt to and meet the specific needs in complex scenarios and solve humanoid operations. Truly provide enterprise customers with highly versatile composite robot products with a short deployment cycle and low development cost."

At present, "Saizhi Intelligent" is targeting common scenarios in multiple fields such as automobiles and auto parts, electronic semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals, daily chemicals and consumer goods, and new energy. Domestically, centered on the Yangtze River Delta, it has formed five major business regions including the Bohai Rim, the Pearl River Delta, the Southwest, and the Northwest. It has expanded overseas to Southeast Asia, Europe, Mexico, and other places, deeply connecting with top major customers, and will further cover mid-sized customers to achieve standardization and mass replication.

Investor Perspectives:

Yin Botao, a partner of Yuanhe Puhua, said that the discrete production scenarios in the manufacturing industry have an urgent need for process-oriented operations, which has greatly promoted the rapid transformation and upgrading of traditional industrial robots to a new generation of composite robots. The Saizhi team, with its independently developed integrated controller and underlying software algorithms, has successfully achieved the humanoid operation of the "hand-eye-foot-brain" integration and achieved commercialization in multiple application scenarios of many industry-leading enterprise customers. We look forward to Saizhi, using VLA embodied intelligence technology, to further turn the vision of "intelligent mobile integration" into reality and lead the development trend of the industry.

Sanyi Capital said that the current industrial robots are developing in the directions of intelligence, refinement, flexibility, and platformization. As a new type of robot solution, composite robots focus on flexibility and multi-functionality in design, can quickly adapt to different processes, have strong scene versatility, and are a key part of the flexible production line. As an entrepreneurial enterprise in the field of composite robots, Saizhi Intelligent not only has a leading technology iteration ability but also has a strong customer delivery ability. It has the opportunity to expand its advantages in multiple industries and establish a leading position. Sanyi Capital will also gather the industrial ecosystem, continue to empower, and fully assist the enterprise in its growth and development.