"Lingbao CASBOT" completed an angel round of financing of over 100 million yuan, accelerating the mass production process of humanoid robots | 36Kr exclusive.
Written by | Wang Fangyu
Edited by | Su Jianxun
36Kr has learned that Beijing Zhongke Huiling Robot Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Lingbao CASBOT") recently announced the completion of an angel round financing of over 100 million yuan. The investors include Lenovo Ventures, SDIC Chuanghe, Henan Asset Fund, etc. This round of financing will mainly be used to accelerate the mass production of humanoid robots and the research and development of core technologies.
Lingbao CASBOT was established in August 2023. It is a start-up company of humanoid robots, dedicated to the research and development of general-purpose humanoid robots and embodied intelligence products for scenario-based implementation.
The company's core team is composed of senior experts from top universities and technology enterprises at home and abroad. They have more than 20 years of experience accumulation in professional fields such as intelligent robots, precision assembly, visual servo, and robot skill learning. They have participated in research and development projects such as the major task of micro-target precision assembly and the compliant assembly robot for high-lock nuts of the C919 large aircraft.
On November 13, 2024, Lingbao CASBOT released its first biped humanoid robot product "CASBOT 01". CASBOT 01, nicknamed "Wednesday", is positioned as a general-purpose brain-inspired intelligent robot. The whole machine has 52 degrees of freedom, a computing power of 550T, and a battery life of more than 4 hours. It can be widely applied in multiple fields such as industrial manufacturing, commercial services, and home communities.
Zhang Miao, COO of Lingbao CASBOT, told 36Kr that Lingbao CASBOT has started the delivery of the humanoid robot whole machine product CASBOT 01 and will carry out mass production and more delivery tasks in 2025.
In addition to the humanoid robot body and "brain", Lingbao CASBOT also has the independent research and development and production capacity of upstream core components. Its self-developed dexterous hand, high-performance integrated joint, and core controller unit are highly matched with the body, enabling high-performance whole-body integrated control.
In the 2024 Zhongguancun Bionic Robot Competition, the Lingbao CASBOT team won four awards: the first place in the operational competition of the humanoid bionic robot track, the first place in the industrial scene of the embodied intelligence large model track, the third place in the racing competition of the humanoid bionic robot track, and the excellent team in the innovation ability of the other bionic robot track.
Lingbao CASBOT 01 Product Debuted at CES Exhibition with Enterprise Authorization
Lingbao CASBOT has also joined the "NVIDIA Inception Program". With NVIDIA's GPU technology and deep learning framework, Lingbao CASBOT will further optimize the robot's perception, decision-making, and execution capabilities, and enhance the intelligence level of the product; by using the Cosmos world basic model platform, the robot training efficiency and product performance can be improved.
In terms of commercialization, Zhang Miao said that Lingbao CASBOT is steadily advancing with the "double helix structure" development model. First, it adheres to the scenario-driven strategy and iterates products and technologies based on the deep integration of real business scenarios. Second, it precisely adapts to the scenario requirements with the full-stack technology system to improve the universality and general capabilities of the technology in practical applications.
Up to now, Lingbao CASBOT has accumulated many partners in multiple fields such as emergency rescue, underground operations, industrial manufacturing, and commercial services, and continuously accumulates industry know-how to continuously explore new application spaces.
Zhang Miao revealed that in 2025, Lingbao CASBOT will release biped and wheeled humanoid robot whole machine products and a new dexterous hand, and will also promote the iterative upgrade of embodied brain-inspired and other products and technologies.
Views of Investment Institutions:
The investor SDIC Chuanghe of this round said: Lingbao CASBOT has achieved rapid and stable walking of humanoid robots on various terrains and precise manipulation in complex operation scenarios. The team has a profound technical foundation, a fast research and development and iteration speed, and prioritizes the launch of products and services for high-value scenarios, with a clear business path.
Henan Asset Fund said: Lingbao CASBOT has a deep technical accumulation, and the team has a continuous research and development ability and an excellent commercial landing ability. The Lingbao CASBOT 01 robot launched last year has outstanding performances in hardware design, software architecture, motion control, and other aspects.
Gu Zhengbin, Senior Director of Lenovo Group and Managing Director of Lenovo Ventures, said: Lingbao CASBOT has a fast landing in scenarios such as industry and coal, and is very practical. In the future, Lenovo Ventures CVC2.0 will provide all-round empowerment to Lingbao CASBOT to help accelerate the iterative upgrade of its core technologies and the application and landing of products, and accelerate the industrialization process of humanoid robots.