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| EngineAI | |
|---|---|
| Company information | |
| Full name | Shenzhen EngineAI Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. |
| Chinese name | 深圳市众擎机器人科技有限公司 |
| Founded | October 2023 |
| Founder & CEO | Zhao Tongyang (赵同阳) |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen Bay Innovation and Technology Center, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Industry | Humanoid robots, embodied AI |
| Key products | SA01, SE01, PM01, SAO2, T800 |
| Valuation | ~$1.4 billion (RMB 10B+) as of 2026 |
| Total funding | $350M+ across 9+ rounds |
| Key investors | JD.com, CATL Capital, Luxshare Precision, Rockets Capital, XPENG |
| Employees | ~300+ (2026 est.) |
| Website | en.engineai.com.cn |
EngineAI (formally Shenzhen EngineAI Robotics Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese humanoid robot company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Founded in October 2023 by serial robotics entrepreneur Zhao Tongyang, the company designs, manufactures, and sells general-purpose humanoid robots and bipedal robotic platforms. EngineAI focuses on what it calls "embodied intelligence," combining advanced bipedal locomotion, reinforcement learning, and end-to-end neural network control to produce robots with remarkably human-like movement.
In fewer than three years since its founding, EngineAI has released five distinct robot platforms, ranging from the $5,300 SAO2 companion robot to the $25,000 T800 industrial humanoid. The company has raised over $350 million across multiple funding rounds, with a $200 million Series B in early 2026 pushing its valuation past RMB 10 billion (approximately $1.4 billion) and establishing it as a unicorn.[1][2] Strategic investors include JD.com, CATL Capital, Luxshare Precision, and Rockets Capital (backed by XPENG).[3][4]
EngineAI gained global attention through a series of viral demonstrations: the SE01's strikingly human-like walking gait in October 2024, the PM01's world-first front flip by a humanoid robot in February 2025, and a dramatic stunt in December 2025 where CEO Zhao Tongyang allowed a T800 to deliver full-force martial arts kicks to his body on camera to disprove CGI allegations.[5][6][7]
Zhao Tongyang's path to founding EngineAI spans over a decade of entrepreneurship in hardware and robotics. In 2012, during the early wave of the Internet of Things (IoT) boom, Zhao started a business building Bluetooth and wireless devices. He reinvested profits from that venture into robotics research, turning his attention to bipedal humanoid robots in 2016.[8][9]
That year, Zhao founded Dogotix, one of China's earliest companies focused on legged robot development. Dogotix initially pursued bipedal systems, but technical and funding obstacles at the time made full bipedal locomotion commercially impractical. Zhao pivoted the company toward quadruped robots, recognizing that roughly 70% of quadruped technology could transfer to bipedal systems later. The pivot proved successful: by 2020, Dogotix had shipped over 200 quadruped units and attracted the attention of major Chinese automakers.[8][9]
In 2020, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer XPENG Motors acquired Dogotix for a reported sum near $100 million. Zhao co-founded Shenzhen Pengxing Intelligent Research Co., Ltd. as a joint venture with XPENG to continue robotics research under the automaker's umbrella. At Pengxing Intelligence, Zhao led the development of the XPENG PX5, a bipedal humanoid prototype that was later showcased at NVIDIA's GTC 2024 conference.[9][10]
During his time at XPENG, Zhao assembled a robotics team of over 300 engineers spread across offices in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Silicon Valley. He personally interviewed more than 2,000 engineering candidates for the program. Despite the resources available at a major automotive company, Zhao concluded that "money and headcount alone can't guarantee success" in robotics, and he departed XPENG in 2023 to pursue his own vision.[8]
Zhao left XPENG in late 2023, taking his intellectual property and a core group of engineers with him to establish EngineAI. He invested his personal savings into the new company, setting up headquarters at the Shenzhen Bay Innovation and Technology Center in Nanshan District. The founding team drew heavily from China's first legged robot research and development teams, as well as alumni from top universities including Tsinghua University, the University of Hong Kong, and UC Berkeley.[8][11]
From the outset, Zhao articulated a philosophy that distinguished EngineAI from competitors focused purely on technical specifications. "Do we need another cold tool? Actually, we don't," he stated in a 2025 interview, emphasizing his goal of creating robots with an apparent "soul" through natural, human-like movement and interaction rather than rigid, mechanical behavior.[8]
EngineAI moved with remarkable speed after its founding. Within its first 14 months of operation, the company released four distinct robot platforms:
A fifth product, the SAO2 companion robot, was announced in mid-2025, targeting younger consumers with an anime-inspired design and a price of approximately $5,300.[15]
By early 2025, with a team of just 48 people, EngineAI reported delivering nearly 100 units of its various platforms within five months of beginning sales.[13]
EngineAI's product lineup spans from affordable consumer companion robots to full-size industrial humanoids. The following table summarizes the complete portfolio as of early 2026:
| Model | Type | Height | Weight | DOF | Peak torque | Price (USD) | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA01 | Bipedal research platform | ~100 cm | ~40 kg | N/A | 330 N-m | $5,400 | July 2024 |
| SE01 | Full-size humanoid | 170 cm | 55 kg | 32 | 186 N-m (knee) | $20,000 to $30,000 | October 2024 |
| PM01 | Compact humanoid | 138 cm | ~40 kg | 23 to 24 | 300 N-m | $13,700 | December 2024 |
| SAO2 | Companion robot | 125 cm | 25 kg | 26 to 28 | N/A | ~$5,300 | 2025 |
| T800 | Full-size industrial humanoid | 173 cm | 75 kg | 43 | 450 N-m | $25,000 to $50,000 | December 2025 |
The SA01 was EngineAI's first product, a bipedal robot designed as an open-source research and education platform. Constructed from high-strength aluminum alloy, it features high-torque harmonic joint modules capable of 330 N-m of smooth torque control. The robot incorporates Intel RealSense depth cameras, 360-degree LiDAR, and dual NVIDIA and Intel processors. With walking power consumption under 200 watts, the SA01 was priced aggressively at $5,400 to attract academic institutions and developer communities. Orders reportedly exceeded expectations shortly after launch.[12][16]
The SE01 is EngineAI's flagship full-size humanoid, standing 170 cm tall and weighing 55 kg with 32 degrees of freedom. It was the robot that put EngineAI on the global map. When unveiled on October 24, 2024, the SE01 demonstrated a walking gait so natural that many observers initially questioned whether the footage was real. The robot's locomotion system relies on an end-to-end neural network combining reinforcement learning and imitation learning, trained on extensive human motion capture data.[5][17]
The SE01 features self-developed harmonic, planetary, and ball-screw joint modules, with 186 N-m of peak knee torque, dual encoders, cross-roller bearings, and forced-air cooling at critical joints. Its aerospace-grade aluminum alloy frame is designed for a 10-year service life. The robot can walk at 2 m/s, run, squat, perform push-ups, grasp objects, and jump.[17][18]
The SE01 made a high-profile debut on CCTV's "Setting Sail 2025" New Year's Gala on January 1, 2025, performing before a national television audience. It subsequently appeared at CES 2025 as part of what EngineAI called its "revolutionary robotics lineup."[11][16]
The PM01 is a compact, lightweight humanoid standing 138 cm tall and weighing approximately 40 kg. Launched on December 24, 2024, it serves as a more affordable and portable counterpart to the SE01. The PM01 features 23 degrees of freedom in its Commercial edition (24 in the Educational edition), 300 N-m peak joint torque, a 320-degree waist rotation, and a dual-chip computing architecture combining an Intel N97 CPU with an NVIDIA Jetson Orin co-processor.[13][19]
The PM01 became EngineAI's most publicly visible product through a series of viral demonstrations:
Duolun Technology signed a three-year procurement agreement with EngineAI for over 2,000 PM01 units, a deal valued at more than RMB 100 million, covering deployment across traffic management, public safety, and retail scenarios.[23]
The SAO2 is an anime-styled companion humanoid designed for younger, tech-savvy consumers. Standing approximately 125 cm tall and weighing 25 kg, it features 26 to 28 degrees of freedom, a built-in large language model for adaptive conversation, high-fidelity speakers, and two HD cameras. Priced at approximately $5,300, it represents EngineAI's push into the consumer companion robot market. The SAO2 can assist with homework, play music, and hold context-aware conversations, developing what EngineAI describes as a unique personality over time.[15][24]
The T800 is EngineAI's most powerful humanoid, a full-size industrial robot standing 173 cm tall and weighing 75 kg. Named after the iconic T-800 Terminator from the James Cameron film franchise, the T800 features 29 degrees of freedom in its body plus 7-DOF dexterous hands per side (43 total), peak joint torque of 450 N-m, instantaneous peak joint power of 14,000 W (14 kW), and the industry's first solid-state battery designed specifically for humanoid robots, providing 4 to 5 hours of runtime.[7][14]
The T800 is available in four editions:
| Edition | Price (USD) | Price (RMB) | AI compute | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | $25,000 | 180,000 | 275 TOPS (NVIDIA AGX Orin) | Full 29-DOF body, solid-state battery; no dexterous hands |
| Ecosystem | $33,000 | 240,000 | 275 TOPS (NVIDIA AGX Orin) | Dexterous 5-finger hands, open-source, tactile sensing |
| Pro | $38,500 | 280,000 | ~2,000 TOPS (NVIDIA Jetson Thor) | Enhanced DOF, advanced perception suite |
| Max | $50,000 | 360,000 | ~2,000 TOPS (NVIDIA Jetson Thor) | Industrial-grade components, 24/7 deployment capability |
Pre-orders for the T800 opened in mid-2026 on JD.com in China, with a deposit of RMB 5,000 (~$700) and first shipments expected by June 2026.[25][26]
The T800 attracted global attention in December 2025 when CEO Zhao Tongyang donned protective padding and allowed the robot to deliver full-force martial arts kicks to his body on camera. The stunt was designed to silence critics who had accused EngineAI of using CGI in earlier promotional videos. The footage went viral worldwide and generated massive media coverage heading into CES 2026.[7]
EngineAI's core technological differentiator is its approach to bipedal locomotion. Rather than relying on traditional model-based control methods that predefine gait parameters, the company uses end-to-end artificial neural networks that learn walking behavior through reinforcement learning and imitation learning. The system is trained on extensive human motion capture data collected through optical motion capture technology, then refined in simulation using NVIDIA Isaac Sim before being transferred to physical hardware.[5][13][17]
This approach enables EngineAI's robots to take longer, more natural strides rather than the short, shuffling steps characteristic of many humanoid robots. The SE01's walking gait was widely praised as one of the most natural ever demonstrated by a humanoid robot, drawing comparisons to human movement that many observers initially believed to be CGI.[5]
EngineAI develops its joint actuators entirely in-house rather than sourcing from third-party suppliers. The company produces harmonic, planetary, and ball-screw joint modules with integrated dual encoders, cross-roller bearings, in-joint wiring, and forced-air cooling. These proprietary actuators allow EngineAI to optimize torque output, force-control precision, and thermal management specifically for bipedal locomotion requirements. The T800's actuator system delivers up to 450 N-m of peak torque and 14 kW of instantaneous peak power, figures that enable explosive movements such as jumping, rapid directional changes, and the martial arts kicks featured in demonstrations.[14][17][19]
EngineAI robots employ a dual-chip computing architecture pairing an Intel N97 CPU (for real-time motion control) with NVIDIA AI accelerators (for perception, decision-making, and machine learning inference). Entry-level configurations use the NVIDIA AGX Orin (275 TOPS), while higher-tier models feature the NVIDIA Jetson Thor (approximately 2,000 TOPS). The company's robots also integrate comprehensive sensor suites including Intel RealSense depth cameras, 360-degree LiDAR, stereo cameras, microphone arrays, ultrasonic sensors, and inertial measurement units.[14][16][19]
EngineAI maintains open-source repositories on GitHub, including:
The open-source framework supports ROS (Robot Operating System) integration, ONNX deployment pipelines, and MuJoCo sim-to-sim validation tools, lowering the barrier for third-party researchers and developers working with EngineAI platforms.[13]
EngineAI has completed nine funding rounds in approximately two and a half years, an aggressive fundraising pace that reflects both the intensity of competition in China's humanoid robot sector and investor confidence in the company's rapid commercialization timeline.
| Round | Approximate amount | Lead investor(s) | Notable participants | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel | Undisclosed | N/A | 2024 | |
| Pre-Series A | Stone Venture (Dubai) | N/A | April 2024 | |
| Pre-Series A++ | Part of ~RMB 1B total | Rockets Capital | XPENG | 2025 |
| Series A1 | Part of ~RMB 1B total | JD.com | CATL Capital, Yintai Group, TH Capital, Guochen Venture Capital, Huangpu River Capital | July 2025 |
| Series B | $200M (~RMB 1.4B) | Henan Investment Group (Huirong Fund), Luxshare Precision | N/A | Early 2026 |
Additional intermediate rounds (including seed and bridge rounds not fully detailed in public disclosures) bring the total number of funding rounds to nine as reported by the company.[1][2][3][4]
JD.com: One of China's largest e-commerce and technology companies, JD.com led the Series A1 round and represents a potential deployment partner for humanoid robots in logistics and warehousing. JD.com operates extensive warehouse networks across China and has been actively investing in automation and robotics technologies.[3]
CATL Capital: The investment arm of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world's largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries. CATL Capital's participation signals potential synergies in battery technology for humanoid robots, particularly given the T800's solid-state battery innovation.[3]
Luxshare Precision: A major Chinese electronics contract manufacturer and key supplier to Apple, Luxshare joined as both a financial investor and a strategic manufacturing partner in the Series B round. Luxshare's precision manufacturing expertise, mass production capabilities, and global supply chain infrastructure are expected to help EngineAI scale production and achieve cost efficiencies necessary for its aggressive pricing strategy.[1][2]
Rockets Capital: A Chinese private equity firm focused on growth-stage investments in frontier technologies. Rockets Capital, backed by XPENG, led the Pre-A++ round, maintaining the connection between EngineAI's founder and his former employer.[3][4]
The $200 million Series B round in early 2026 pushed EngineAI's valuation past RMB 10 billion (approximately $1.4 billion), establishing the company as a unicorn less than three years after its founding. This milestone placed EngineAI among a growing cohort of Chinese embodied AI companies exceeding the RMB 10 billion valuation threshold, reflecting the rapid expansion of the sector.[1][2]
The strategic investment by Luxshare Precision in the Series B round extends beyond financial capital. As one of China's premier electronics manufacturers, Luxshare brings precision manufacturing capabilities, high-volume production expertise, and a global supply chain footprint to the partnership. EngineAI has indicated that Luxshare will serve as a key industrial partner for commercialization, helping boost both product performance and delivery capabilities. The partnership is particularly significant in the context of what industry observers call the "delivery battle" in the humanoid robot sector, where companies must transition from impressive demonstrations to reliable mass production.[1][2]
EngineAI has established a 12,000-square-meter manufacturing base in Shenzhen and set up an additional production line in Zhengzhou (the capital of Henan Province, whose state investment group co-led the Series B) with an annual capacity of 5,000 units. The company's production roadmap targets the following milestones:[1][29]
| Year | Target production | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ~1,000 units | Across all platforms |
| 2026 | 4,000 to 5,000 units | T800 production ramp; ~200 units/month as of early 2026 |
| 2027 | 30,000 to 50,000 units annually | Long-term scaling goal |
As of early 2026, the T800 production line was producing approximately 200 units per month, with plans to increase output to 500 units per month by the end of Q1 2026.[29]
EngineAI has reported framework orders exceeding RMB 500 million across industrial manufacturing, security and patrol, and retail sectors. The most significant publicly disclosed deal is the three-year procurement agreement with Duolun Technology for over 2,000 PM01 units valued at more than RMB 100 million. The robots are being deployed across traffic management, public safety, and retail applications.[1][23]
Beyond its investor relationships, EngineAI has established strategic collaborations with several major technology companies:
| Partner | Area of collaboration |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA | Computing hardware (Jetson Orin, Jetson Thor); simulation (Isaac Sim, Isaac Gym) |
| Amazon | Humanoid robotics applications |
| JD.com | E-commerce, logistics, and retail deployment |
| Tencent | Technology collaboration |
| ByteDance | Humanoid robotics applications |
| Luxshare Precision | Manufacturing and supply chain |
| Duolun Technology | Traffic management and public safety deployment |
These partnerships span computing infrastructure, manufacturing, and end-user deployment, positioning EngineAI across the full value chain from hardware development to commercial application.[3][4]
When the SE01 was unveiled on October 24, 2024, videos of its human-like walking gait drew millions of views across social media platforms. Industry experts and media outlets described the gait as "unreal" and "shockingly realistic," putting EngineAI on the global radar seemingly overnight. The company, which had been operating in relative obscurity for its first year, became one of the most discussed humanoid robot startups in the world.[5][17]
The SE01 performed on CCTV's "Setting Sail 2025" New Year's Gala, one of the most-watched television broadcasts in the world. The appearance gave EngineAI national visibility in China and underscored the Chinese government's interest in promoting domestic humanoid robot development.[11]
EngineAI exhibited at both CES 2025 and CES 2026 in Las Vegas. At CES 2025 (January 2025), the company showcased the SE01, PM01, and SA01. At CES 2026 (January 2026), the T800 made its global commercial debut alongside the PM01, drawing large crowds and making the T800 one of the most talked-about products at the show.[14][16]
On February 23, 2025, EngineAI released footage of the PM01 executing a front flip, claimed to be the world's first by a humanoid robot. Front flips are considered significantly more challenging than backflips for both humans and robots due to the forward weight shift and difficult landing mechanics. The PM01's compact size and low center of mass provided a key advantage. The demonstration followed earlier acrobatic milestones by other robots, including Boston Dynamics' hydraulic Atlas performing a backflip in 2017 and Unitree's H1 completing the first fully electric standing backflip in 2024.[6]
PM01 robots were deployed alongside Shenzhen police officers for routine patrol duties beginning in early 2025. Wearing high-visibility police vests, the robots walked alongside human officers, interacted with passersby, and responded to voice commands. The deployment made EngineAI one of the first companies to place humanoid robots in a law enforcement support role.[22]
On April 5, 2025, American YouTuber IShowSpeed (37 million subscribers) performed a live dance collaboration with a PM01 robot during a visit to Shenzhen's Happy Harbor. The robot performed choreography inspired by the Kung Fu Hustle dance, drawing a large crowd. During the live demo, the robot stumbled at one point, prompting an impromptu comedy moment before a replacement was brought out. The unscripted interaction generated significant social media attention and demonstrated the PM01's capabilities outside controlled lab environments.[21]
EngineAI organized the "Mecha Boxing King" robot free combat tournament, held in Shenzhen on December 24, 2025. Billed as the world's first full-scale humanoid robot combat competition, the event tested the physical limits and autonomous decision-making capabilities of humanoid robots. EngineAI supplied robot platforms and open-sourced their code, allowing participating teams to customize fighting styles and strategies. Co-founder Yao Aiwen stated that the competition aimed to foster stronger, more agile, and smarter robots, ultimately accelerating deployment across industrial and service sectors.[30]
In one of the most memorable product demonstrations in robotics, CEO Zhao Tongyang wore protective padding and allowed a T800 to deliver full-force martial arts kicks that knocked him to the ground on camera. The stunt directly addressed skepticism about earlier EngineAI videos, which some viewers had alleged were enhanced with CGI. The video went viral worldwide, generating massive media coverage and firmly establishing the T800 in the public consciousness ahead of CES 2026.[7]
EngineAI operates in a rapidly expanding global market for humanoid robots, competing primarily against other Chinese manufacturers who collectively controlled an estimated 90% of global humanoid robot shipments by unit volume as of early 2026.[29]
| Company | Country | Notable robot(s) | 2025 unit shipments | Starting price | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineAI | China | T800, PM01 | ~1,000 | $5,300 to $25,000 | 2023 |
| Unitree | China | H2, G1 | ~5,500 | $16,000 | 2016 |
| Agibot | China | A2 | ~5,168 | ~$100,000 | 2023 |
| Tesla | USA | Optimus Gen 3 | ~150 | Not yet for sale | 2003 |
| Figure AI | USA | Figure 03 | N/A | Not disclosed | 2022 |
| Boston Dynamics | USA | Atlas (electric) | N/A | Not for sale | 1992 |
EngineAI's primary domestic competitor is Unitree Robotics, China's largest humanoid robot company by unit volume. Both companies target the affordable humanoid segment, leverage NVIDIA hardware, and use reinforcement learning for robot training. By pricing the Base T800 at $25,000, EngineAI undercuts the Unitree H2's $29,900 domestic price by nearly $5,000. However, Unitree holds a significant maturity advantage, having been founded in 2016 with established mass production capabilities and a pending IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.[25][29]
Compared to American competitors like Tesla's Optimus and Figure AI's humanoid platforms, EngineAI and other Chinese manufacturers hold a distinct advantage in near-term commercial availability and aggressive pricing. Tesla shipped only about 150 Optimus units in 2025 (primarily for internal use), with public sales not expected until 2027. Chinese firms have moved substantially faster to commercialize humanoid robots at price points accessible to research institutions and commercial operators.[29][31]
EngineAI differentiates itself through its marketing approach, which emphasizes dramatic, viral demonstrations (combat, flips, dance choreography) rather than the controlled lab settings favored by many competitors. This strategy has generated outsized brand awareness relative to the company's age and production volume, though it has also invited skepticism and CGI allegations that the company has had to actively combat.[7][8]
Zhao Tongyang has consistently prioritized aggressive price reduction as a core strategy. With the SA01 at $5,400, the SAO2 at $5,300, the PM01 at $13,700, and the T800 starting at $25,000, EngineAI's portfolio spans a price range designed to make humanoid robots accessible to a wider market than previously possible. This approach mirrors the strategy that drove adoption in the consumer drone and electric vehicle markets, where dramatic price drops expanded the addressable customer base.[8][12]
EngineAI develops its core technologies in-house, including joint actuators, control algorithms, locomotion software, and computing integration. This vertical approach reduces dependence on third-party suppliers and gives the company greater control over cost, performance optimization, and product differentiation. The partnership with Luxshare Precision for manufacturing complements this strategy by adding world-class production capabilities without requiring EngineAI to build that infrastructure from scratch.[1][14]
EngineAI targets four primary application domains:
The company also sees entertainment and cultural tourism as near-term revenue opportunities, with robots deployed for performances, demonstrations, and interactive experiences.[3][16]