From somersaults to sprinting, from working in factories to assisting people in climbing mountains, the impressive performances of embodied intelligent robots in recent years have been breathtaking. In 2025, “embodied intelligence” was first included in the “Government Work Report.” This concept, likened to “intelligence with a physical body,” emphasizes dynamic interaction with the real world, contrasting with language models that excel in thinking. Embodied intelligent robots are the “representatives” of this field.
By the end of 2024, approximately 210 companies related to embodied intelligent robots have gathered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and an “18-point” action plan has been launched to promote industrial development. What segments does the embodied intelligent robot industry currently include, and what cutting-edge achievements have been made? Through the observation window of Shenzhen, reporters conducted investigations.
Hardware Manufacturing —
Bionic Dexterous Hands: Gently Picking Strawberries Without Crushing Them
The robot slowly extends a hand, gently picking a strawberry without crushing it, with precise force and natural movements.
This scene takes place in the laboratory of Pasini Perception Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. “In the past, robots could see and hear, but they could not feel the world or control force through ‘touch.'” The company’s founder and CEO, Xu Jincheng, explains, “In the future, robots that resemble humans will also be able to sense the difference between the textures of glass and cotton. “
Tactile sensing technology is crucial for robots to understand the physical world. A bionic dexterous hand is equipped with nearly a thousand high-precision tactile sensors, akin to the “nerve endings” of the robot. The moment it reaches out to “touch” external objects, the robot acquires information across 15 dimensions, including pressure, sliding, and texture, with precision sufficient to distinguish the weight of three or four grains of rice.
As a core hub of the global electronic hardware supply chain, Shenzhen has a complete manufacturing system for robot components, whether it be tactile sensors, LiDAR, servo motors, or powerful mechanical arms and dexterous hands, all can be quickly sourced locally.
“In the past, when conducting R&D overseas, we sourced components from the Greater Bay Area,” Xu Jincheng says. “Now, being rooted in Shenzhen, the supply chain is right at our doorstep, reducing our R&D cycle from three months to one or two weeks, allowing us to quickly iterate products while lowering costs.” In 2024, the shipment volume of tactile sensors from Pasini has increased exponentially, with the vast majority applied in automation and humanoid robots.
“The development of embodied intelligence not only aligns with Shenzhen’s industrial ecosystem but can also become a key competitive advantage for future industries,” says Zhang Lin, Director of the Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Committee.
The key to developing embodied intelligence lies in the combination of “AI + hardware.” While Shenzhen’s robot industry chain is complete, there are still shortcomings in core technology areas such as AI chips, precision manufacturing, and control systems, with some key components being constrained by external factors, and the relevant standard system is not yet perfect.
In the face of challenges, Shenzhen is focusing on its weaknesses, organizing major technological projects, and conducting key core technology breakthroughs in areas such as critical components, robot AI chips, bionic dexterous hands, and body control technology. At the same time, it is accelerating the construction of standard systems and intellectual property protection, formulating a batch of standards around the software and hardware interfaces and evaluation testing of embodied intelligent robots.
Software Development —
The Smart “Brain” That Folds Clothes Neatly
For robots, why is folding a piece of clothing more challenging than moving several heavy boxes? It turns out that once a soft fabric is grasped, its shape becomes unpredictable, significantly increasing the difficulty of perception and control.
At Shenzhen Variable Robot Technology Company, the embodied intelligent general model has equipped robots with a smart “brain,” successfully solving this problem. A dual-arm robot moves flexibly, judging the deformation of the clothing in real-time, intelligently adjusting its force, and soon folds the scattered clothes neatly.
“Traditional robots can only repeat actions along a preset path and cannot break through established scenarios. Their bottleneck lies not in hardware but in intelligence,” says Wang Qian, the company’s founder and CEO. The embodied large model allows robots to autonomously perceive, judge, and execute operations, completing complex and delicate tasks.
Without programming or remote control, the robot learns to place cups and plates with just a few samples, regardless of the shape, size, or orientation of the cups and plates, handling them with ease, just like humans completing tasks intuitively.
“We use a single large model to solve all problems. The entire process from perception to action, as well as training and execution of different tasks, is completed within the same large model,” Wang Qian says. “In the future, we hope robots can ‘learn after seeing once’ and even directly understand instructions to complete tasks autonomously.”
Shenzhen’s large model technology started relatively late. Wei Zhenhua, Assistant Dean of the Robotics Research Institute at Southern University of Science and Technology, states that Shenzhen is rapidly catching up to bridge various gaps. Developing AI large models requires talent as a key factor. Shenzhen has relatively insufficient higher education resources, relying mainly on external talent. Therefore, Shenzhen is focusing on both discipline construction and talent attraction, making every effort to serve talent.
“Recently, we are introducing international talent and have felt Shenzhen’s comprehensive support and efficient government services,” Wang Qian reveals. In the early stages of the startup, Variable Robot Company received attention and support from the Shenzhen Angel Investment Guidance Fund. In just over a year, it has completed six rounds of financing, totaling several hundred million yuan.
Data is a valuable resource for the development of large models. “How to efficiently and completely acquire scene data is crucial for the progress of large model research and development.” With the support of relevant departments, Wei Zhenhua’s team has deployed inspection robotic dogs to multiple construction sites to collect data and deepen learning.
A relevant official from the Shenzhen Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Bureau stated that Shenzhen is accelerating the construction of an open-source platform for embodied intelligence and a multimodal training open-source dataset, covering 300,000 sets of high-frequency actions to support humanoid robot training. At the same time, it will provide subsidies for computing power, corpus, and other resource elements to support enterprise development.
Diverse Scenarios —
Providing Testing Grounds,Robotic Dogs Can Remember Paths and Patrol
“Da da da da…” At around 1 AM, in a residential community in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, a four-legged robotic dog rises from the security room and steps out the door. The terrain of the community is uneven, but it steadily navigates around flower beds and climbs stairs, checking safety blind spots and identifying risks.
“After the robotic dog was deployed, the nighttime manual patrol time in the community was reduced by 4 hours,” says Yang Yang, Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Desheng Property Service Co., Ltd. “There are blind spots in community monitoring, and some areas cannot be reached by wheeled vehicles, so the climbing robotic dog fills the gap perfectly.”
Before the robotic dog was deployed, the team from Shenzhen Huogou Intelligent Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. brought it to the community. In less than half a day, it made a round in the community, recognizing doors and remembering paths. Soon, after arranging the patrol route and schedule, the robotic dog officially “joined” the community security team.
“The robotic dog does not need to scan and input the terrain in advance; it can autonomously adapt to complex outdoor terrain and maintain balance,” explains Cao Weijing, founder of Huogou Intelligent. This robotic dog currently sells for over 300,000 yuan. Due to its high price and being in the early stages, it is “employed” on a rental basis, with a monthly “salary” of several thousand yuan.
“Currently, the robotic dog mainly conducts fixed-point patrol inspections without requiring human intervention, but it cannot respond to commands. We hope that in the future, it can work at the command of a single instruction,” Yang Yang states, noting that with technological advancements and cost reductions, they plan to consider large-scale procurement in the future.
While the property company is trying out the robotic dog, Huogou Intelligent is also piloting the collection of public scene data to train the robotic dogs, helping them evolve and upgrade. “Currently, related applications have not been widely deployed, and more real scene data needs to be collected to complete functional adaptation,” Cao Weijing says.
Robotic dogs are inspecting construction safety at building sites, humanoid robots are working in factories, and exoskeleton robots are enabling tourists to climb mountains with ease… In Shenzhen, an increasing number of embodied intelligent robots are taking on roles. Although there is still some distance to large-scale applications, the future is already taking shape.
It is reported that Shenzhen will open up the entire city to artificial intelligence and robotics under the principle of “opening everything that can be opened” at all times and in all scenarios. From municipal sanitation and emergency rescue to medical care and elderly care, government departments and state-owned enterprises are actively opening their doors; manufacturing enterprises are also proactively opening quality inspection, assembly line operations, and material handling scenarios, providing a broad “testing ground” for technological innovation, helping new technologies transform into products more effectively and quickly, entering various industries and households.
Confidence and Patience Are Needed for Industrial Development
Reporter’s Note
“Not making money, still burning cash” — during the visits, this was the most frequently heard phrase. This also reflects the current state of the embodied intelligence industry. In terms of the industry, there are three considerations:
Is the application field just for show? Marketization is driven by demand. No matter how beautiful the somersaults or how impressive the dance, there must be someone willing to pay. Only with real application scenarios can the industry truly take root. During the interviews, it was evident that companies are striving to refine the capabilities of robots to better assist humans in their work. At the same time, some departments are actively exploring application scenarios to help new technologies become products more quickly and effectively.
Is the industrial chain competing in isolation? Each company has its own technical route and showcases its unique skills. However, in terms of technology itself, there are no secrets; the main competition lies in R&D speed and promotional efforts. This also means that companies tend to self-develop core components, promote their own large models, and build their own confidential, controllable, and convenient industrial chains. The government focuses on building an innovative ecosystem akin to a “tropical rainforest,” such as gathering upstream and downstream industries, subsidizing resource elements, and constructing basic corpus centers.
Can robots handle household chores and assist the elderly? Experts predict that in the next 5-10 years, robots may become taller, capable of opening refrigerators, watering plants, washing vegetables, washing dishes, and carrying luggage, potentially becoming “embodied” without necessarily being humanoid. Even if it is not that sci-fi, the market prospects are worth imagining.
Currently, the embodied intelligence industry is developing rapidly. This reflects the vitality of the industry in our country and is a necessary stage in industrial development. All parties need to have confidence and patience.
Source: People’s Daily (April 16, 2025, Page 10)
Reporter: Lü Shaogang
Editor: Liu Linming, Zhou Lili
Initial Review: Fang Yishun
Final Review: Wei Keguang
