Pudu Robotics
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| Pudu Robotics | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Full name | Shenzhen Pudu Technology Co., Ltd. |
| Chinese name | 普渡科技 (Pudu Keji) |
| Founded | January 2016 |
| Founder | Felix Zhang (Zhang Tao) |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, China |
| Industry | Robotics, Artificial intelligence |
| Products | Service delivery robots, commercial cleaning robots, industrial delivery robots, humanoid robots |
| Robots shipped | 130,000+ units (2026) |
| Operating regions | 80+ countries |
| Employees | ~500 |
| Total funding | $300+ million cumulative (2026) |
| Valuation | $1.5+ billion (April 2026) |
| Key investors | Sequoia Capital China, Meituan, Tencent |
| Website | pudurobotics.com |
Pudu Robotics (branded as PUDU; Chinese: 普渡科技) is a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Shenzhen that designs, manufactures, and deploys commercial service robots for the food and beverage, hospitality, healthcare, retail, industrial, and cleaning sectors. Founded in January 2016 by Felix Zhang, Pudu Robotics has grown into one of the world's largest commercial service robot manufacturers, with over 120,000 robots shipped to more than 80 countries and regions as of 2025.[1][2] The company's stated mission is "empowering easier work and better life through AI and robotics," and its long-term vision is to build intelligent robotics infrastructure serving 10 billion people.[3]
Pudu Robotics is best known for its cat-shaped BellaBot food delivery robot, which became a global sensation after Japan's Skylark restaurant group ordered 3,000 units for deployment across more than 2,000 stores.[4] Starting from restaurant delivery, the company has expanded into commercial cleaning, building logistics, industrial material transport, quadruped robots, and, most recently, humanoid robots through its Pudu X-Lab division.[5] In April 2026 the company raised nearly $150 million at a valuation exceeding $1.5 billion, and by mid-2026 it reported more than 130,000 robots shipped and was preparing for a public listing in Hong Kong.[28][30][31]
Pudu Robotics was founded in January 2016 in Shenzhen, China, by Felix Zhang (Zhang Tao). Zhang studied mechanical engineering as an undergraduate before completing a Master of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) from 2007 to 2009.[6] During his graduate studies, Zhang became intrigued by the potential for robots to assist in repetitive, labor-intensive commercial tasks. After gaining experience in robotics research and development, he founded Pudu with the initial goal of building food delivery robots for restaurants.[7]
The company's first product, the PuduBot, was launched in 2017 and won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award "Best of the Best" that same year, an uncommon achievement for a startup's debut product.[8] PuduBot was an open-tray delivery robot designed for restaurant environments, capable of autonomous navigation between kitchen and dining tables. The award brought early recognition and helped Pudu secure initial customers in the Chinese restaurant industry.
In 2019, Pudu Robotics entered into a strategic partnership with Haidilao, one of China's largest hot pot restaurant chains, marking the company's first large-scale deployment deal and establishing its credibility in the food service sector.[3]
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand for contactless service robots. Pudu Robotics donated several hundred robots to hospitals, isolation wards, quarantine facilities, and public transit hubs across China to help combat the virus.[9] The company also released the Puductor 2, a disinfection robot equipped with ultrasonic dry mist and UV-C disinfection technology, capable of killing 99.99% of bacteria and viruses including COVID-19. The disinfectant was atomized into particles smaller than 10 micrometers, allowing them to remain suspended in the air for extended periods to ensure thorough sterilization.[10]
During this period, the company launched several new products that broadened its portfolio beyond restaurant delivery. The BellaBot, introduced in 2020, became Pudu's breakout product with its distinctive cat-like face, interactive expressions, and advanced 3D perception using three RGBD cameras.[11] The HolaBot, designed for dish collection and heavy-load transport, featured a 120-liter waterproof cabin, 60 kg carrying capacity, and an omnidirectional six-microphone array for voice command recognition.[12]
In 2022, Pudu released the PUDU D1, its first quadruped (four-legged) delivery robot, featuring wholly proprietary core components including high-performance joint modules and a master control board with a 16-core CPU and AI computing power of up to 30 TOPS.[13] The same year, the SwiftBot was launched internationally at the National Restaurant Association Show, offering omnidirectional perception with three RGBD cameras, two RGB cameras, and two LiDAR units.[14]
By the end of 2022, Pudu had shipped approximately 56,000 robots globally and had established a presence in over 60 countries.
In 2023, Pudu announced a strategic partnership with SoftBank Robotics to expand the deployment of Pudu's delivery and cleaning robots across Japan, leveraging SoftBank's market expertise and distribution channels.[15] By October 2023, the company reported nearly 70,000 units shipped, making it China's number one service robot exporter.[16]
Pudu also began its pivot toward humanoid and embodied intelligence robots in 2024, establishing the Pudu X-Lab as its dedicated humanoid robotics R&D division. The X-Lab released three products in rapid succession: the PUDU D7 semi-humanoid robot in September 2024, the PUDU DH11 dexterous hand in late 2024, and the PUDU D9 full-sized bipedal humanoid robot in December 2024.[5][17]
In March 2025, the company unveiled the FlashBot Arm, a semi-humanoid embodied AI service robot built on the FlashBot Max platform with the addition of two 7-degree-of-freedom robotic arms and the DH11 dexterous hands.[18] That same month, Pudu expanded its North American presence by establishing a new US headquarters in Santa Clara, California, alongside an East Coast fulfillment center in Hamilton, New Jersey, supplementing its existing Los Angeles fulfillment center.[19]
As of 2025, Pudu Robotics has shipped over 120,000 units globally, with overseas sales accounting for more than 80% of total revenue, up from just 8% in 2019.[2]
Through 2025 and into 2026 Pudu Robotics expanded aggressively into industrial automation, launched its first generative robot foundation model, raised a large growth round, and began preparing for a stock-market listing.
Industrial robot line. Building on the PUDU T300 industrial autonomous mobile robot, on January 9, 2026 the company launched the PUDU T150, a light-payload industrial delivery robot rated for 150 kg loads that extends the T-series to cover payloads from 150 kg to 600 kg. The T150 is designed to work out of the box, completing mapping on the robot within about 10 minutes and reaching stable operation in as little as one hour. Pudu said the T150 would be available first in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, along with selected markets including Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey.[32] The company reported that its industrial delivery robots had shipped more than 4,000 units within a year of their market launch.[28]
Funding round and valuation. On April 23, 2026, Pudu Robotics announced it had raised nearly $150 million in a new funding round that lifted its valuation above $1.5 billion and brought cumulative funding to more than $300 million. The company said the proceeds would be used to accelerate the development of embodied AI technologies, expand its product portfolio, deepen global market expansion, and scale manufacturing and supply-chain capacity. The investors backing the round were not disclosed.[28][29] In a statement, founder and CEO Felix Zhang called the round "a powerful validation of Pudu's industry leadership, product and technological strength, global brand, and commercial infrastructure."[29] Alongside the raise, Pudu reported a roughly 100% year-over-year revenue increase in 2025, said its commercial cleaning segment had grown to account for over 70% of total revenue, and cited Frost and Sullivan research crediting it with a 23% share of the global commercial service robot market, ranking first worldwide. The company named Carrefour, Walmart, and EDEKA among its retail customers.[28]
Planned Hong Kong listing. In June 2026, Zhang told Nikkei Asia that the company was preparing to list in Hong Kong. He linked the decision to geopolitical tensions that were adding to the company's supply-chain costs, and said Pudu was exploring overseas manufacturing options in response.[31]
PUDU D7 (next generation). On June 1, 2026, under the PUDU Embodied banner, Pudu unveiled a next-generation version of the PUDU D7 positioned as an industrial semi-humanoid robot for manufacturing and warehouse environments. The redesigned D7 carries a payload of up to 14 kg, works at heights up to 2 meters, and combines dual-arm precision force control (with millimeter-level accuracy), tactile sensing for contact-force feedback, and 360-degree awareness from dual front-and-rear LiDAR. It supports fully autonomous battery swapping for around-the-clock operation and runs on the company's PuduFM 1.0 foundation model, targeting tasks such as material handling, shelf picking, inventory replenishment, intralogistics, dispensing, assembly, and fine manipulation.[33]
Full-scenario robot hotel. Also on June 1, 2026, Pudu signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shenzhen CTID (Shenzhen Culture and Tourism Industry Development Co., Ltd.) to build what the partners described as the world's first full-scenario robot-serviced hotel, located on the West Artificial Island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The hotel is to deploy robots across guest reception, room delivery, cleaning, food service, and guest support using multi-robot collaboration, with a phased rollout beginning in 2026, a trial operation targeted for the end of 2026, and a long-term vision extending toward 2030.[34]
By mid-2026 the company reported more than 130,000 robots shipped and continued to describe itself as the global leader in commercial service robotics.[30]
Pudu Robotics organizes its product lineup into four major categories: service delivery robots, commercial cleaning robots, industrial delivery robots, and general embodied AI solutions (including humanoid robots).
| Robot | Year | Type | Key features | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PuduBot | 2017 | Open-tray delivery | Autonomous navigation, Red Dot Best of the Best award winner | N/A |
| PuduBot 2 | 2019 | Open-tray delivery | Extended autonomy, improved navigation | N/A |
| BellaBot | 2020 | Food delivery | Cat-like face, 3D perception (3 RGBD cameras), interactive expressions, 0.5s obstacle response | 40 kg (4 trays at 10 kg each) |
| HolaBot | 2020 | Dish collection / heavy delivery | 120L waterproof cabin, pager function, 6-mic voice array, IPX5 rating | 60 kg |
| KettyBot | 2021 | Delivery + advertising | Built-in advertising screen, voice interaction, narrow-space navigation | 30 kg |
| SwiftBot | 2022 | Versatile delivery | 260-degree front detection, automatic electric door, projection interaction, IoT connectivity | 35 kg |
| Robot | Year | Type | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| FlashBot | 2021 | Multi-floor building delivery | Elevator integration (KONE, OTIS), IoT connectivity, cloud-based elevator control, VSLAM+ navigation |
| FlashBot Max | 2024 | Semi-outdoor building delivery | Indoor/semi-outdoor navigation, enhanced VSLAM+, weather-resistant |
| FlashBot Arm | 2025 | Semi-humanoid building delivery | Dual 7-DOF arms, DH11 dexterous hands, 10.1-inch touchscreen, 2m operational reach |
| Robot | Year | Type | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUDU CC1 | 2023 | 4-in-1 commercial cleaner | Sweeping, scrubbing, vacuuming, mopping; VSLAM+ and LiDAR; Red Dot Award 2023 |
| PUDU CC1 Pro | 2024 | AI-enhanced commercial cleaner | Rear AI camera for real-time quality monitoring, stain detection, heatmap generation |
| PUDU SH1 | 2024 | Professional scrubber dryer | iF Design Award 2025 winner |
| PUDU MT1 | 2025 | AI-powered industrial sweeper | AI camera for real-time trash recognition, deep learning, up to 100,000 m2 coverage; Red Dot Award 2025 |
| PUDU BG1 | 2025 | Large-scale cleaning | AI-native architecture for large commercial spaces |
The commercial cleaning category had grown to account for more than 70% of Pudu's total revenue by 2025.[28]
| Robot | Year | Type | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUDU T300 | 2025 | Industrial AMR | 300 kg payload, production-line material transport, CE-MD/CE-RED certified, Red Dot Award 2025 |
| PUDU T150 | 2026 | Light-payload industrial AMR | 150 kg payload, on-robot mapping in ~10 minutes, extends T-series to 150-600 kg range |
| PUDU D7 (next gen) | 2026 | Industrial semi-humanoid | 14 kg payload, dual-arm force control, tactile sensing, front/rear LiDAR, autonomous battery swap, runs on PuduFM 1.0 |
| Robot | Year | Type | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUDU D1 | 2022 | Quadruped delivery robot | Proprietary joint modules, 16-core CPU, 30 TOPS AI computing, auto-levelling delivery box |
| PUDU D5 | 2025 | Quadruped inspection robot | Nvidia Orin chip, 4 fisheye cameras, dual LiDAR, 30 kg payload, all-terrain/all-weather operation; full lineup shown at iREX 2025 |
| Robot | Year | Type | Key specifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUDU D7 | 2024 | Semi-humanoid | 165 cm tall, 45 kg, 30 DOF (50 with dexterous hand), 8-hour battery, 2 m/s max speed |
| PUDU D9 | 2024 | Bipedal humanoid | 170 cm tall, 65 kg, 42 DOF, 352 Nm max joint torque, 20 kg payload, bipedal walking at 2 m/s |
| FlashBot Arm | 2025 | Semi-humanoid service robot | Dual 7-DOF arms, DH11 hands, 8-hour runtime, RGBD/LiDAR/panoramic sensors |
| Robot | Year | Type | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puductor | 2020 | UV + mist disinfection | Ultrasonic dry mist atomization, autonomous navigation |
| Puductor 2 | 2020 | UV-C + mist disinfection | Dual disinfection modes (UV-C and ultrasonic dry mist), 99.99% sterilization rate, sub-10 micrometer particles |
Pudu Robotics has built its technology platform around three foundational pillars: mobility, manipulation, and artificial intelligence. The company holds over 1,000 authorized patents worldwide, and its founder Felix Zhang personally holds nearly 300 granted patents as of 2023.[3][7]
The company's proprietary PUDU SLAM positioning system supports both visual SLAM (VSLAM) and laser SLAM, enabling robots to build accurate 3D maps and navigate autonomously in complex, dynamic environments. The enhanced VSLAM+ technology, introduced with the FlashBot line, combines visual and LiDAR data for improved positioning accuracy and faster map building.[20]
The PUDU DH11 is an 11-degree-of-freedom, five-fingered dexterous hand with 12 tactile sensing areas. Designed to replicate human hand movements, the DH11 enables robots to perform tasks such as pressing buttons, grasping objects, opening doors, and manipulating delicate items. The hand is integrated into the PUDU D9 humanoid robot and the FlashBot Arm.[17][18]
Pudu has pioneered what it calls the "One Brain, Multiple Embodiments" architecture, a unified AI control system that can be deployed across different robot form factors, from wheeled delivery robots to bipedal humanoids. This approach allows the company to reuse and refine its AI software stack across its entire product lineup, reducing development costs and accelerating time-to-market for new platforms.[3]
On June 5, 2026, Pudu Robotics unveiled PuduFM 1.0, a robot foundation model, together with PuduAgent, a general-purpose embodied agent platform, presenting the pair as the practical implementation of the One Brain, Multiple Embodiments strategy in which robots of different forms share one unified, end-to-end model and software architecture.[30]
The company describes PuduFM 1.0 as a lightweight, "physical-intuition-driven" foundation model intended to move robots from pattern matching toward understanding physical cause and effect, so they can predict the consequences of an action before performing it. The model comprises two core modules: a Physical Intuition Model (PIM), built on a causal-attention transformer with slot attention and graph-neural-network representations to predict how objects interact over time, and a Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model that aligns visual, language, and action information within a single unified feature space.[30]
PuduAgent is built on top of PuduFM and uses a three-layer architecture: a system layer (an "Agent Core" for strategic planning and tactical execution, plus an "Agent Memory" spanning working, episodic, and compressed memory), a capability layer that abstracts skills such as navigation, obstacle avoidance, and elevator interaction into reusable modules shared across robot types, and a safety layer that proactively flags risks such as potential collisions, overloads, and instability before execution. Pudu positions the platform as enabling multi-robot coordination, real-time replanning, and deployment across heterogeneous fleets without robot-specific engineering.[30] The next-generation PUDU D7 industrial semi-humanoid was the first product announced to run on PuduFM 1.0.[33]
Pudu X-Lab is the company's advanced R&D division focused on humanoid robotics and embodied intelligence. Established as an internal division, the X-Lab is responsible for developing Pudu's next-generation robots that go beyond wheeled platforms to include legged and humanoid form factors.
The X-Lab released three products in 2024 alone: the PUDU D7 semi-humanoid robot (September 2024), the PUDU DH11 dexterous hand (late 2024), and the PUDU D9 bipedal humanoid (December 2024). This rapid product cadence demonstrates Pudu's strategy of leveraging its existing commercial robotics expertise, particularly in navigation, sensor integration, and mass manufacturing, to enter the humanoid robotics market.[5]
Pudu's humanoid strategy is notably grounded in commercial viability. Rather than pursuing general-purpose humanoids for distant future applications, the company targets the hospitality, healthcare, retail, and cleaning industries where it already has established customer relationships and distribution channels. The PUDU D7, for example, is designed for tasks like elevator operation, item transport, and sorting in buildings, while the PUDU D9 is positioned for more complex scenarios requiring bipedal locomotion and dual-arm manipulation.[5][17]
In 2026 the X-Lab's work was consolidated under a broader "PUDU Embodied" embodied-AI initiative, which brought the PuduFM 1.0 foundation model, the PuduAgent platform, and the next-generation industrial PUDU D7 to market.[30][33]
Pudu Robotics has raised more than $300 million cumulatively since its founding, most recently in an April 2026 round that valued the company above $1.5 billion.[28]
| Round | Date | Amount | Lead investor(s) | Notable participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel | 2016 | Undisclosed | N/A | N/A |
| Series A | 2018 | Undisclosed | N/A | N/A |
| Series B | July 2020 | $15 million | Meituan | N/A |
| Series B+ | August 2020 | $15 million | Sequoia Capital China | Meituan, Everwin Investment, QC Capital, Chengbohan Fund |
| Series C1 | May 2021 | ~$78 million | Tencent, Meituan, Sequoia Capital China | Multiple co-investors |
| Series C2 | September 2021 | ~$77 million | Meituan, Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund | Shenzhen Investment Holdings, Sequoia Capital China |
| Series C3 | February 2023 | $15 million | Puhua Capital | N/A |
| Series C4 | May 2023 | Hundreds of millions of yuan | Undisclosed | N/A |
| New round | April 2026 | ~$150 million | Undisclosed | N/A |
The combined C1 and C2 rounds raised nearly $155 million in total, representing the largest capital infusion in the company's history at the time. Key institutional investors from earlier rounds include Sequoia Capital China, Meituan (the Chinese food delivery giant), Tencent, Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund, Shenzhen Investment Holdings, QC Capital, and Puhua Capital.[21][22][23][24]
In April 2026 the company closed a further round of nearly $150 million that pushed its valuation past $1.5 billion and lifted cumulative funding above $300 million. The investors in the 2026 round were not disclosed by the company or in primary reporting. Pudu said the new capital would fund embodied AI development, product expansion, and additional manufacturing and supply-chain capacity.[28][29]
Pudu Robotics has expanded from a Shenzhen startup into a globally distributed organization with infrastructure across Asia, North America, and Europe.
The company maintains dual global headquarters in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, with three R&D centers located in Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Hong Kong. R&D staff account for more than 50% of the company's workforce.[3]
Pudu operates three manufacturing facilities in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, providing the production capacity needed to support its global shipments of over 120,000 robots.[3] In 2026, citing geopolitical tensions and rising supply-chain costs, the company said it was exploring overseas manufacturing options.[31]
The company has established five overseas subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and the Netherlands. In March 2025, Pudu opened its US headquarters in Santa Clara, California, along with a fulfillment center in Hamilton, New Jersey, joining its existing Los Angeles fulfillment center. The US operations launched with an initial team of over 30 professionals and a service network of more than 300 local distributors and providers.[19]
Pudu's products are deployed across more than 80 countries and 600 cities, serving ten major industries including food and beverage, retail, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment, industrial manufacturing, education, real estate, and public services. Overseas sales now account for over 80% of total revenue, a dramatic shift from 8% in 2019. The company works through a global network of more than 700 distributor partners.[2][16] By mid-2026 Pudu reported more than 130,000 robots shipped and cited Frost and Sullivan research crediting it with a 23% share of the global commercial service robot market, the largest of any vendor.[28][30]
Pudu's most prominent deployment is with the Skylark Group, Japan's largest family restaurant chain. Skylark ordered 3,000 BellaBots for deployment across more than 2,000 stores, setting an industry record for a single order of service robots. The BellaBot's cat-like design resonated particularly well with Japanese consumers, generating extensive social media attention and enhancing Skylark's brand visibility.[4]
In October 2023, Pudu announced a strategic partnership with SoftBank Robotics to combine SoftBank's expertise in the Japanese market with Pudu's product and technology advantages in delivery and cleaning robots. The partnership expanded Pudu's reach across Japan's hospitality and food service industries.[15]
Pudu's 2019 partnership with Haidilao, one of China's most recognized hot pot restaurant brands, was an early milestone that validated the company's technology in high-volume, fast-paced dining environments.[3]
In 2023, Pudu collaborated with Nippon Otis to successfully integrate the FlashBot delivery robot with elevators in Japan, demonstrating the robot's ability to autonomously call and ride elevators for multi-floor deliveries.[25]
In June 2026, Pudu signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shenzhen CTID (Shenzhen Culture and Tourism Industry Development Co., Ltd.) to develop what the partners called the world's first full-scenario robot-serviced hotel, on the West Artificial Island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in the Greater Bay Area. The hotel is designed to use multi-robot collaboration across reception, room delivery, cleaning, food service, and guest support, with a phased rollout from 2026, a trial operation targeted for the end of 2026, and a roadmap extending toward 2030.[34]
Pudu Robotics has received numerous international design and technology awards throughout its history.
| Year | Award | Product |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Red Dot Design Award "Best of the Best" | PuduBot |
| 2023 | Red Dot Award for Product Design | PUDU CC1 |
| 2025 | iF Design Award | PUDU SH1 |
| 2025 | Red Dot Award for Product Design | PUDU MT1 |
| 2025 | Red Dot Award for Product Design | PUDU T300 |
The company's consistent recognition across Red Dot and iF awards reflects its emphasis on industrial design as a differentiator in the commercial robotics market.[8][26][27]
Felix Zhang (Zhang Tao) is the founder and CEO of Pudu Robotics. Zhang holds a Master of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He has over 16 years of R&D experience in robotics and personally holds nearly 300 granted patents worldwide. Zhang has been recognized by HKUST's Entrepreneurship Center as a notable alumni entrepreneur.[6][7]