Striving North Postal People
Bai Guochao, a member of the Communist Party of China, is a 2014 PhD graduate in Mechatronics Engineering from the School of Intelligent Engineering and Automation at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. He is the founder and CEO of Zhixing Robotics Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., a national-level entrepreneurial leader, Jiangsu Province’s dual-innovation talent, Jiangsu Province’s “dual-innovation PhD”, Jiangsu Province’s industrial professor, Suzhou’s entrepreneurial leader, and Taicang’s technological leader, as well as a senior engineer. He holds a PhD from Heriot-Watt University in the UK and a joint PhD from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and King’s College London. Previously, he served as a researcher at Imperial College London and a postdoctoral researcher in the Computer Science Department at the University of Montreal, Canada. This research pioneer, who possesses both an international perspective and a deep love for his country, is using innovative wisdom to write a new chapter in China’s robotics industry.
1.
Academic Foundation: The Dual Helix Growth of International Research and Study
During his PhD studies at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Bai Guochao systematically delved into the fields of intelligent control, robotics, and automation, actively engaging in research projects, competitions, and practical applications, forging a solid research sword. The motto of BUPT, “Integrity, Knowledge, Diligence, and Community”, not only shaped his rigorous and pragmatic academic character but also ignited his passionate commitment to intelligent manufacturing. After graduating with his PhD in 2014, he turned down an opportunity to stay at the university and resolutely embarked on a path of further study abroad, pursuing a second PhD in the UK. During his studies abroad, he remained fully committed to research and development, leveraging his efforts to enter the cutting-edge Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College, participating in multiple international projects, accumulating rich experience and broadening his horizons.
As an outstanding research talent, Bai Guochao has received multiple citizenship invitations from various countries, with generous job offers from research institutions in the UK, Canada, and others. However, with a heart for his homeland, Bai Guochao unhesitatingly declined these advantageous overseas job opportunities, choosing instead to return to China, passionately dedicating himself to the country’s research and development. In Bai Guochao’s vision, he hopes to apply the technologies he has learned and researched into practice, generating practical value, striving towards the industrialization of the robotics field, and driving a group of high-caliber talents to engage in this industry, bringing more substantial benefits to the country.
With over ten years of research and work experience in robotics and artificial intelligence, Bai Guochao has participated in and led more than ten EU framework programs and UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council projects, published over twenty academic papers, and applied for more than ten patents. In 2018, Bai Guochao participated in the “Win in Suzhou” entrepreneurship competition with his project and won a grand prize. In August of the same year, Zhixing Robotics Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. was established in Taicang, Suzhou. This seed quickly sprouted in the fertile soil of the Yangtze River Delta, growing into a towering tree that drives industry transformation.
2.
Serving the Country through Industry: Breaking the Barriers from Laboratory to Industrialization
Around 2020, the robotics industry faced unprecedented opportunities and challenges, with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and intelligent perception converging and transforming, accelerating the entry of robots into new markets like 3C electronics. China’s robotics is achieving a leap from “quantity” to “quality”. In this era, Bai Guochao, with his Zhixing Robotics, firmly stepped into the tide of the times, bravely standing at the forefront and seizing opportunities.
In the initial years of entrepreneurship, Bai Guochao applied his knowledge to production practice, quickly assembling a professional team in robotics technology in Taicang, expanding the company from two initial members to a team of over 90. Many core R&D members have overseas study backgrounds, possessing broad international perspectives and deep theoretical and technical accumulations in robotics and artificial intelligence, with the potential for innovative technology and leading industry transformation. The robotic hand products developed by the company are sold in more than ten provinces and cities nationwide. Their intelligent end effectors won the “Nobel Prize” of the robotics industry—the 2020 Chappie Award for Technological Innovation.
Currently, Zhixing Robotics Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. has rapidly grown into a national high-tech enterprise focused on the R&D and production of dexterous hands and embodied intelligent robots. In 2024, the company was recognized as a specialized and innovative enterprise in Jiangsu Province, providing flexible, reliable, safe, and intelligent robotic solutions for various fields including aerospace, industrial manufacturing, warehousing logistics, education and research, and life sciences. With an experienced R&D team and profound insights into multi-industry technologies, the company has successfully built three core intelligent ecological technologies: mechanical intelligence (adaptive reconfigurable technology), perceptual intelligence (multi-information fusion technology), and control intelligence (AI control technology). As a core component supplier for embodied robots, Zhixing Robotics has launched the Zhixing Hand series products, which include four categories: industrial translational hands, collaborative hands, bionic hands, and heavy-duty hands, with weights ranging from a few grams to over 120 kilograms, and has developed tactile perception modules and visual AI algorithms to replace human hands or assist humans in achieving precise grasping and flexible operations. After years of technological accumulation, Zhixing Robotics has achieved top five national rankings in the small load field and first place in the large load field, and is also the first company in China to apply dexterous robotic hands in the aerospace manufacturing field. By the end of 2024, Zhixing Robotics completed a Series B financing of tens of millions, with over 300 cumulative clients and established cooperation with more than 50 domestic enterprises, forming a profound market influence.
3.
Manufacturing the Future: A Leader in the Era of Embodied Intelligence
“The development of embodied intelligence has increased the demand for robots in factories, transitioning industrial production from rough to refined, which is an opportunity for Zhixing’s development,” Bai Guochao stated. “We can not only provide small load robotic hands for industrial production but also produce intelligent robotic systems for the assembly, maintenance, and inspection of aircraft engines. Flexible end effectors define industrial intelligence, while heavy-duty end effectors support great power manufacturing.” This is also the development vision of Zhixing Robotics. Bai Guochao may carry many labels, such as “the new force of Chinese robotics, a pioneer in intelligent manufacturing, and a model entrepreneur in Suzhou”, but in his heart lies only a grand blueprint—to liberate human hands, allowing everyone to freely unleash their talents and make the world a better place. Towards this mission, Bai Guochao continues to move forward, and Zhixing Robotics is also on the path to becoming a global leader in grasping technology!
Layout | Yao Jinghan
Thanks | Alumni Association