Rochu Robotics

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Rochu Robotics (Chinese: 苏州柔触机器人科技有限公司, branded ROCHU) is a Chinese robotics company that develops soft end effectors for industrial automation. Founded in 2017 and based in Zhangjiagang, Suzhou, its established product line centers on pneumatic soft grippers, modular finger and beak components, and control units.^[1][2][3]

In an August 2026 company article, Rochu described a self-developed biomimetic robotic hand actuated by coordinated pneumatic muscles.^[4]

History and financing

Rochu Robotics was founded in 2017 by Zhang Fan. A 2022 PEDaily profile reported that Zhang studied mechanical automation at the University of Stuttgart and had worked at Bosch and Centrotherm before founding the company in Zhangjiagang.^[1]

In June 2022, Rochu announced a Pre-A financing round in the tens of millions of yuan. Plum Ventures and Strategy Capital co-invested, with Scheme Capital acting as exclusive financial adviser. The company said the funds would support new products, added production capacity, and wider use of its flexible end effectors.^[1][2]

A 2024 Zhangjiagang government report located Rochu's headquarters in the Zhangjiagang Bonded Zone Science and Technology Park and said it also operated a technical support and research center in Shenzhen.^[5]

Soft-gripper technology and products

Rochu's catalog describes its commercial grippers as soft, fluid-actuated devices that open or grasp through positive-pressure or vacuum airflow. Air pressure controls gripping force in soft-finger modules and opening distance in soft-beak modules.^[3] This pneumatic architecture lets a compliant gripper conform to an object's shape instead of relying only on rigid contact points.

The product system is modular. A gripper combination can include a finger or beak module, a mounting plate, a flange connection, and an optional quick-change module. Rochu also sells control units and supplies nonstandard combinations for objects that need a different finger arrangement, added sensors, suction cups, or other components.^[3]

Financing coverage identified applications in electronics, food, automobile parts, garment manufacturing, medical devices, robotics education, packaging, and logistics.^[1][2] These reports establish the company's intended and reported markets. They do not independently verify vendor claims about cycle life, precision, damage rates, or suitability for every object in those markets.

Two peer-reviewed reviews place Rochu in the commercial soft-gripper landscape. A 2023 ACS Nano review listed Rochu among commercial pneumatic soft-gripper vendors, but the paper's table and prose conflict about whether the Rochu gripper had sensing hardware.^[6] A 2025 review of grippers for high-speed handling of fragile foods depicted the RoChu gripper among commercial soft grippers used as examples in food automation.^[7]

Flexible-finger patent

Chinese patent CN107378980B is assigned to Suzhou Rochu Robotics and names Zhang Fan and Liu Lu as inventors. Filed in August 2017 and granted in March 2023, it describes a flexible finger with a relatively stiff base, a softer contact face, a wave-shaped joint section, and an internal drive chamber.^[8]

The patent's worked operating principle bends the finger by changing internal air pressure.^[8] It concerns a flexible-finger design filed in 2017 and does not supply technical specifications for Rochu's later biomimetic hand.

Soft-robotics standard

In September 2024, the Zhangjiagang government reported that Rochu was a principal drafting unit for T/CIET 570-2024, Technical Requirements for Soft Robots. The group standard was issued by the China International Economic and Technical Cooperation Promotion Association. Rochu participated in its initiation, drafting, and verification, according to the government account.^[5]

The document is a group standard rather than a mandatory national standard. Rochu's role should also be understood as participation in a multi-party standards process, not sole authorship.^[5]

Biomimetic hand demonstration

In an August 12, 2026 company article, Rochu described a self-developed biomimetic robotic hand that it said reproduced the anatomy of human bones and tendons at 1:1 scale. The company explicitly described the actuation as coordinated pneumatic-muscle drive and illustrated gentle handling of an egg and pencil lead.^[4]

Rochu did not identify a model name, publish a technical datasheet, state a tendon count, or give a commercial-release status in that article.^[4] The handling examples were company demonstrations, not a controlled independent evaluation. The device is therefore best described as a demonstrated research or development hand rather than an established commercial product.

Evidence limits

Most detailed performance and application claims about Rochu hardware come from company materials or financing profiles built partly from company disclosures. Academic reviews confirm that Rochu soft grippers exist in the commercial landscape and classify their basic actuation or application context, but they do not independently validate the 2026 hand's dexterity, force control, durability, or reliability.^[6][7]

No primary Rochu source located by August 29, 2026 gave a tendon count or detailed actuation specification beyond the company's pneumatic-muscle description.^[4] More detailed figures should not be treated as established specifications without a company datasheet, patent, paper, or other direct technical record.

See also

• Artificial muscle
• Dexterous hand
• Tendon-driven actuation

References

1. ^PEDaily. "柔触机器人完成数千万元PreA轮融资，梅花资本和高略资本共同投资." June 13, 2022. m.pedaily.cn/...493961
2. ^Pandaily. "Rochu Robotics Secures Tens of Millions of Yuan in Pre-A Round Financing." June 13, 2022. pandaily.com/...s-of-yuan-in-pre-a-round-financing
3. ^Suzhou Rochu Robotics Co., Ltd. "Rochu Catalog V2.5." DirectIndustry. Accessed August 29, 2026. pdf.directindustry.com/...217255-904401
4. ^Rochu Robotics. "2026机器人产业资本动向：柔触技术突破激活赛道融资热度." August 12, 2026. rochu.com/...506
5. ^Zhangjiagang Municipal People's Government. "保税区企业主导起草软体机器人领域首个标准." September 24, 2024. zjg.gov.cn/...23bc7c8767a34981a44aa67d19674808.shtml
6. ^Chidanand Hegde et al. "Sensing in Soft Robotics." *ACS Nano*, volume 17, issue 16, 2023, pages 15277-15307. doi.org/...acsnano.3c04089
7. ^Yang Zhang and Zhongkui Wang. "Review of robotic grippers for high-speed handling of fragile foods." *Advanced Robotics*, volume 39, issue 17, 2025, pages 1054-1070. doi.org/...01691864.2025.2508785
8. ^China National Intellectual Property Administration. CN107378980B, "Flexible finger." Granted March 28, 2023. patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/...378980B.pdf