Xiaomi Expands into Core Components of Robotics, Invests in Joint Technology Company "Guohua Intelligence" | Exclusive Report by Yingke

Author | Wu Huaxiu

Editor | Yuan Silai

Yingke learned that Guohua Intelligence recently completed a new round of tens of millions of financing. The investors include Xiaomi Industry Investment and A-share listed company Jinyang Co., Ltd. The funds will be mainly used for the technological iteration and capacity expansion of the core joint modules of humanoid robots. According to Wang Guang, the founder, the company is accelerating the upgrade of its production and R & D system. "We are going to embrace a real explosion point."

Founded in 2014, Guohua Intelligence initially engaged in the R & D and manufacturing of harmonic reducers in Beijing. After years of technological reserves, it landed in Qingdao in 2021, completed the construction of its first production line, and achieved industrialization. In the past four years, the company has successively received investments from Qingdao Milestone Venture Capital, Qianhai Mother Fund, Shandong Provincial Financial Investment, Jinyang Co., Ltd., and Xiaomi Industry Investment.

Through continuous iteration, the company has broken through core technologies such as reducers, motors, and drive controllers, and achieved full-stack self - research on core components of humanoid robots such as harmonic reducers, planetary roller screws, rotary joints, and linear joints. "From design, modeling, processing to testing, we can develop a complete set of joint modules in a forward - looking way, which is rare in China," said Wang Guang.

It is reported that Guohua Intelligence is deploying technologies in two directions: one is to focus on core transmission components such as harmonic reducers and planetary roller screws; the other is to deeply integrate these components with motors, drives, sensors, etc. to form integrated joint modules.

Guohua Intelligence's harmonic joint module (Source: Company)

Taking the harmonic reducer as an example, the company has developed four major series and more than a hundred standard models, which are applied in fields such as industrial robots, collaborative robots, humanoid robots, and aerospace. The planetary roller screw covers the linear joint scenarios of the upper and lower limbs, with an accuracy of C3 level, which is better than the common C5 and C7 accuracy in China. Through pre - loading technology, it has reached the international advanced level in performance such as forward - reverse transmission efficiency, backlash, thrust, and service life. In addition, Guohua Intelligence, as the main unit, participated in formulating 4 national standards and 8 group standards related to core components of humanoid robots.

Guohua Intelligence's harmonic reducer (Source: Company)

Wang Guang emphasized that these products are not developed in isolation but evolved closely following market demand. "The development of each generation of products is because customers put forward clear performance and cost targets, and then we work backward to find the technical solutions."

As a key cooperation project, Guohua Intelligence participated in Xiaomi's humanoid robot project throughout the process, providing full - process support from scheme design, process optimization to final assembly production for core components such as upper - body joint modules, rotary and linear joints. In Wang Guang's view, this in - depth cooperation model has accelerated the company's transformation from customized R & D to standardized mass production.

Guohua Intelligence's linear joint module (Source: Company)

Guohua Intelligence's linear joint module (Source: Company)

Against the backdrop of intensified competition in the domestic humanoid robot industry chain, Guohua Intelligence's advantages lie in its full - stack self - research ability and rapid response speed. The company has full - chain capabilities from material heat treatment, tooth profile design, precision machining to whole - machine testing in core links such as harmonic reducers and planetary roller screws, and can quickly iterate when customers put forward modification requirements.

"While others have a long delivery cycle, we can respond to demands the fastest. This is the flexibility of a startup company." However, he also admitted that the production capacity, delivery, and organizational scale need to be upgraded simultaneously in the future. "We need to quickly switch from a startup R & D company to a state of large - scale delivery."

In terms of market layout, Guohua Intelligence's products cover multiple fields such as humanoid robots, commercial aerospace, low - altitude economy, and industrial manufacturing equipment. In the field of humanoid robots, the company provides core components such as upper - body joint modules, rotary and linear joints for leading domestic manufacturers and participates in the whole process from scheme design to process optimization. In the aerospace field, Guohua Intelligence provides SADA systems for low - orbit satellites, which are used for solar panel deployment and antenna pointing control. In the field of industrial manufacturing equipment, its harmonic reducers and high - precision planetary roller screws have entered the mass - production projects of many robot and automation equipment manufacturers, and have established differentiated advantages in terms of accuracy, reliability, and delivery cycle.

These cross - field applications have promoted the continuous upgrade of the company's manufacturing and testing capabilities. Guohua Intelligence has built the first domestic automated production line for joint modules in Qingdao, equipped with equipment such as coordinate measuring machines, precision gear detectors, and 5 - ton vibration tables. At the same time, it has carried out secondary transformation on domestic machine tools to achieve international - level machining accuracy.

It is reported that joint modules are one of the most core value components of humanoid robots, accounting for about 60% of the BOM cost. They not only determine the motion performance of the whole machine but also directly affect reliability and service life. In recent years, domestic technological breakthroughs have mainly focused on harmonic reducers and highly integrated joint modules, but there are not many enterprises that can simultaneously master the self - research capabilities of reducers, motors, and drivers. With full - chain capabilities, Guohua has taken the lead in achieving mass production of high - performance joint modules.

When talking about the future, Wang Guang said that on the one hand, the company will continue to deepen its presence in the field of humanoid robots and strive to consolidate its market share before the industry explodes. In his view, the competition logic of humanoid robot joints will become more and more similar to that of the automotive industry. Stable quality, predictable delivery, and cost control will become the key to victory.

With the completion of this round of financing, Guohua Intelligence is at a critical juncture of shifting from R & D - driven to industrialization - driven. From a small team in Beijing ten years ago to a manufacturing base with more than 90 employees and an annual production capacity of 50,000 sets of precision transmission components, the company has completed a three - level leap in technology, production lines, and customer structure. Facing the competitive pressure from domestic and international giants, Wang Guang's attitude remains practical and straightforward: "We don't chase after trends or make empty promises. Only by making good joints can we make the 'body' of humanoid robots keep up with the iteration speed of the 'brain'."