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| Lumos Robotics | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Full name | Lumos Robot Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. |
| Chinese name | 鹿明机器人 (Luming Jiqiren) |
| Founded | September 2024 |
| Founder | Yu Chao (CEO) |
| Headquarters | Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China |
| Industry | Robotics, Embodied AI |
| Products | Humanoid robots, tactile sensors, robotic joint modules |
| Key investors | CDH Investments, Fosun Group, SenseTime, Innoangel Fund |
| Website | lumosrobotics.com |
Lumos Robotics (Chinese: 鹿明机器人) is a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Shenzhen that designs and manufactures humanoid robots, visuotactile sensors, and robotic joint modules for industrial, logistics, and household applications. Founded in September 2024 by Yu Chao, a Tsinghua University graduate and former leader of the humanoid robotics division at Dreame Technology, Lumos Robotics has raised approximately 200 million yuan (roughly $28 million) across four funding rounds within its first year of operation.[1][2]
The company pursues a full-stack approach to embodied intelligence, combining proprietary hardware components (integrated joint modules, precision encoders, and visuotactile sensors) with a differentiable end-to-end AI architecture that spans data collection, motion control, and task execution. Lumos has positioned itself as a pioneer in touch-enabled robotics, developing a Vision-Tactile-Language-Action (VTLA) framework that integrates tactile perception directly into robot decision-making.[1]
Lumos Robotics was established in September 2024 in Shenzhen's Bao'an District. The company was founded by Yu Chao, who graduated from Tsinghua University and had spent nearly a decade in embodied robotics research, development, and commercialization. Before founding Lumos, Yu Chao led the humanoid robotics division at Dreame Technology, where he assembled the teams responsible for high-profile projects including Xiaomi's CyberDog quadruped robot and Dreame's own quadruped robot platform. Notably, he is credited with creating the world's first backflipping embodied robot powered solely by electric drive.[1][2]
The founding team draws heavily from top Chinese research universities and the consumer robotics industry. Core members include alumni from Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with several founding engineers having previously worked at Dreame's MagicLab humanoid robot division. The team brings collective experience spanning embodied cognition, motion control, and component design.[1]
The company's CTO is Cao Junliang, who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Co-CTO Ding Yan holds an AI doctorate from the State University of New York and previously served as a researcher at the Shanghai AI Lab. Over 70% of Lumos's staff are dedicated to research and development, with the team including more than 12 doctorate holders.[2]
Lumos secured its first investment in November 2024 through an angel round backed by Innoangel Fund and Shangtang Guoxiang Capital (a SenseTime affiliate). The company subsequently closed three additional rounds within six months, reflecting strong investor confidence in its full-stack robotics approach.[1][2]
In December 2024, Lumos announced the completion of its Pre-A1 and Pre-A2 financing rounds, raising hundreds of millions of yuan in total. The Pre-A1 round was led by CDH Investments and included Nanjing Venture Capital, Jinjing Capital, and Jingu Co., Ltd. The Pre-A2 round was backed by Shenneng Chengyi Investment. A second follow-on round brought additional backing from Damon Technology, Fosun RZ Capital, and Wuzhong Financial Holdings.[1][2][3]
Strategic shareholders include Fosun Group, SenseTime, Dematic Technology, and Jingu Co., Ltd. By early 2025, the company had raised a cumulative total of approximately 200 million yuan (about $28 million) through angel-stage investments.[1]
Lumos Robotics produces two main humanoid robot product lines, along with standalone hardware components for the broader robotics industry.
The LUS series represents Lumos's full-scale humanoid robot platform, designed for industrial and logistics applications. The LUS 2 is the company's flagship full-size humanoid, featuring highly biomimetic kinematics with a focus on motion fidelity and dynamic agility. The robot is capable of fast recovery from falls, reportedly returning to a standing position from a prone state in roughly one second. The LUS series emphasizes contact-rich manipulation tasks such as grasping deformable objects, safely bracing during locomotion, and regulating force when opening doors and drawers.[4]
The LUS platform was in pre-production as of early 2025, with volume shipments expected later in the year. It features a dual-arm system with a 50-kilogram combined load capacity, making it suitable for logistics handling and light manufacturing tasks.[2]
The NIX is a compact, child-sized humanoid robot optimized for entertainment, home assistance, education, and light service tasks. Standing 80 cm tall and weighing 20 kg, NIX was unveiled at the World Robot Conference 2025 and the 27th China Hi-Tech Fair.[5]
| Specification | NIX |
|---|---|
| Height | 80 cm |
| Weight | 20 kg |
| Walking speed | 2 to 3 km/h |
| Runtime | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Estimated DOF | ~21 |
| Computing | Intel and NVIDIA chips |
| OS | Linux-based ROS environment |
| Communication | EtherCAT, CAN, UART, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Status | Prototype (~$12,000 estimated) |
NIX's architecture leverages Lumos's proprietary compact joint modules, specifically the Lumos 60-30 series. These modules integrate high-performance brushless DC motors with self-developed planetary reducers at a 30:1 ratio, dual absolute encoders for precise position feedback, and integrated drivers supporting EtherCAT, CAN, or UART communication. Each module delivers a rated torque of 22.8 Nm with a peak of 102 Nm, a maximum speed of 140 RPM at 48V, and weighs just 550 grams in a compact 64 x 58.5 mm form factor.[5]
In December 2025, Lumos released demonstrations of NIX performing advanced whole-body motion control sequences, including flying kick backflips, side flips, and rolls. These demonstrations were performed in real-time without CGI or stunts, representing milestones in compact bipedal embodied AI control.[5]
The MOS series is an additional humanoid robot product line, though detailed specifications have not been publicly disclosed as of early 2026.[2]
Beyond complete robot systems, Lumos manufactures the LUX series of visuotactile hardware products. The LUX-G Gripper is described as being nearly as sensitive as a human fingertip, capable of detecting minute changes in force and torque. This component line reflects Lumos's emphasis on touch-enabled robotics and positions the company as both a robot integrator and a supplier of tactile sensing technology to other manufacturers.[1]
Lumos's robots are powered by a proprietary "embodied brain" system built on a differentiable end-to-end architecture. This system integrates perception, planning, and control into a unified framework, allowing the robot to learn and adapt through continuous interaction with its environment.[1]
The company has developed a Vision-Language-Action (VLA) framework for robot control. Building on this, Lumos is developing what it calls the VTLA (Vision-Tactile-Language-Action) model, which adds tactile perception as a first-class input modality alongside vision and language. This approach reflects the company's belief that touch sensing is essential for robots to perform contact-rich tasks safely and effectively in unstructured environments.[1]
Lumos has developed the FastUMI system for efficient robot training data collection. According to the company, FastUMI triples the data collection efficiency compared to standard approaches at only one-fifth the cost, while achieving 1 to 3 mm positional accuracy. As of late 2025, the company had accumulated over 10,000 hours of real-machine training data.[2]
On the hardware side, Lumos has developed cycloidal joint modules that the company claims achieve a 40% weight reduction and a 60% increase in torque density compared to conventional designs. The company produces all core components in-house, including high-performance integrated joints, precision encoders, and visuotactile sensors.[1][2]
Lumos has established partnerships with several major industrial firms. The company has a cooperation agreement with Damon Technology and has signed a partnership with COSCO Shipping for logistics applications. In Japan, Lumos has secured orders from Mitsubishi, representing early international traction for the company's products. Deployment targets span logistics and smart manufacturing environments.[1][2]