In the laboratory of Leju Robotics in Shenzhen, a humanoid robot named “Kua Fu” is walking freely. The 5G-A technology it is equipped with allows it to connect seamlessly with a cloud brain, executing each command with precision—this is not only a showcase of technology but also a strong statement from China in the field of humanoid robotics. In July 2025, Leju Robotics completed nearly 1.5 billion yuan in Pre-IPO financing, setting a record for the largest single financing in the humanoid robotics sector this year. At the same time, the company has filed for guidance registration with the Shenzhen Securities Regulatory Bureau, officially starting the IPO process. From the founding of the Harbin Institute of Technology robotics team in 2016 to becoming a national-level specialized and innovative “little giant” enterprise today, Leju Robotics has carved out a unique path from laboratory to industrialization in just nine years.
—01 Technical Accumulation: From the Spring Festival Gala Stage to Industrial Scenarios
Leju Robotics’ technical genes were established during the founder Ling Xiaokun’s time at Harbin Institute of Technology. On New Year’s Eve 2012, a robot dance team from the Harbin Institute of Technology’s robotics innovation base performed a one-and-a-half-minute show on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala stage. At that time, Leju’s founders Ling Xiaokun and Chang Lin, as undergraduates at Harbin Institute of Technology, participated in the choreography and programming of the robot performance for three months. This performance became the opportunity for the team to start their entrepreneurial journey. In March 2016, Chang Lin, Ling Xiaokun, and classmates who had collaborated on robot development for many years joined forces to establish Leju Robotics. In the early days of the company, Ling Xiaokun proposed a strategy of “small-scale first, full-size follow-up,” initially using small robots to achieve industrialization and recoup funds before tackling core technologies for full-size robots. This strategy proved effective. Starting in 2017, in response to national planning, many primary and secondary schools across the country began to establish programming, artificial intelligence, and robotics-related courses. Leju actively catered to this new demand trend, launching the Aelos educational robot in the third quarter of 2017, becoming one of the earliest artificial intelligence education products in China with a complete teaching plan.
02 Breakthrough in Robotics: The Mass Production Journey of Full-Size Humanoid Robots
Leju Robotics’ breakthrough progress in the field of humanoid robots is concentrated in the research and mass production of its “Kua Fu” series robots. In November 2023, Leju launched the industry’s first humanoid robot based on the open-source Hongmeng operating system, KaihongOS, in collaboration with Deep Open Hong. Less than six months later, in March 2024, Leju announced a cooperation agreement with Huawei Cloud to jointly explore application scenarios for the “Huawei Pangu large model + Kua Fu humanoid robot.” In January 2025, Leju delivered its 100th full-size humanoid robot to BAIC Off-road Vehicle, becoming the leading company in China in terms of delivery volume for humanoid robots. Three months later, the company, in collaboration with China Mobile and Huawei, launched the world’s first humanoid robot equipped with 5G-A technology, enhancing the reliability of multi-machine collaboration and expanding the applicability of industrial scenarios. In March 2025, Leju’s Vice President Ke Zhendong revealed that the company expects to deliver 1,000 to 2,000 full-size robots this year, primarily for commercial service scenarios such as research and sales, with bulk shipments for industrial scenarios.
03 Business Landscape: A Dual-Track Commercialization Path
Leju Robotics has constructed a unique business landscape with two product lines developing in parallel. For the education market, the company provides small bipedal robots ranging from 30 to 70 centimeters, serving nearly 5,000 primary and secondary schools and vocational colleges nationwide. As of early 2025, the company has served over 4,000 schools and institutions across the country, covering more than 2 million students. For industrial and research scenarios, full-size humanoid robots have already been deployed in industrial settings such as BAIC Off-road Vehicle. As of January 2025, over a hundred full-size robots have been successfully delivered to companies such as FAW Hongqi, NIO, and BAIC Off-road Vehicle, undertaking precise and generalized operations in industrial manufacturing, addressing challenges in flexible manufacturing and narrow, variable spaces. Leju’s CEO Chang Lin stated in an interview this February that there are many non-standard scenarios in the industrial production field, and related positions are facing difficulties in recruitment and high training costs, while humanoid robots can address these challenges with their flexibility, generality, and versatility.
04 Technical Layout: Building a Full-Stack Technology System
Facing the eve of the humanoid robot industry’s explosion, Leju has built a full-stack technology system encompassing “brain—small brain—operating system—body.” In terms of motion control, Leju has integrated Model-Based and RL algorithms to form a unique “small brain” motion control system. After applying this technology, the terrain adaptation error rate of the Leju “Kua Fu” robot has been reduced to 3.2%. In terms of the operating system, the company has launched humanoid robots equipped with M-Robots OS. After introducing the M-Robots OS 1.0 system, humanoid robots have upgraded from single-function to cross-domain collaboration, transitioning from “independent tools” to “intelligent hubs.” In March 2025, Leju also launched a 5G-A humanoid robot in collaboration with China Mobile and Huawei, which, based on 5G-A technology, can achieve high-precision positioning in large scenarios without additional equipment.
05 Ecological Strategy: A Diverse Layout of Self-Research + Investment + Joint Ventures
Leju Robotics innovatively adopts an ecological development strategy of “self-research + investment + joint ventures” to build an industrial ecosystem through multiple layouts. The company has invested in upstream core components through equity investments, including companies like Quanzhibo (integrated joints), Lijudongli (motors), and Lingxinqiaoshou (dexterous hands). Through strategic cooperation, Leju has built midstream manufacturing capabilities, jointly creating a large-scale humanoid robot production line with Dongfang Precision. By the end of December 2024, Leju announced that its humanoid robot production line had officially landed in Suzhou, Jiangsu, with an expected annual production capacity of 200 humanoid robots, reaching full production within five years, with an annual output value of 300 million yuan after reaching full capacity. Through joint ventures to promote downstream commercialization, Leju has established a joint venture with Haichen Co., Ltd. to provide production logistics scenario solutions.
06 Future Planning: Three-Stage Development Path and International Layout
Looking ahead, Leju Robotics has formulated a clear three-stage development path. The first stage focuses on research and commercial service scenarios, which are relatively mature at this point. The second stage will see humanoid robots gradually entering industrial scenarios. Leju has surveyed many factories, especially in the automotive and 3C industries, where many non-standard positions are facing recruitment difficulties and require humanoid robots for transformation and upgrading. The third stage will gradually strengthen the general capabilities of humanoid robots, allowing them to enter home and healthcare scenarios. In terms of international expansion, Leju has initiated research in Southeast Asia, planning to launch a simplified version of industrial robots suitable for high-temperature and high-humidity environments by 2026. This decision is based on market demand—Southeast Asia’s manufacturing labor costs are rising by an average of 8% annually, and Europe’s aging population exceeds 20%, creating a significant demand for robots.
At Leju Robotics’ Suzhou production base, staff are busy assembling and testing one “Kua Fu” humanoid robot after another. These robots are about to be sent to factories, showrooms, and research institutions across the country. From the Spring Festival Gala stage nine years ago to today’s industrial production line, Leju Robotics is playing a leading role in the wave of industrialization of humanoid robots in China with its unique technological path and ecological strategy.
Note: This article on robotics was completed with AI assistance.