- Founder discusses breakthroughs in autonomous tech and plans for global expansion.
- The company’s quadrupedal robots are now deployed in over 1,200 industry applications worldwide.
DEEP Robotics, one of the “Six Dragons of Hangzhou,” has deployed its quadruped robots in over 100 substations across China, showcasing its leadership in the AI-powered robotics sector and industrial applications, the company’s founder and chief executive said at a recent high-profile conference.
Speaking at the China Development Forum 2026 in Beijing on March 22-23, Zhu Qiuguo, who heads the Hangzhou-based robot startup, shared his insights into the company’s advancements in autonomous solutions and its vision for global expansion.
The forum, organized by the State Council Development Research Center, brought together Chinese government leaders, senior international officials, business moguls, and academics to discuss China’s high-quality development and new opportunities in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
In his speech, Zhu highlighted DEEP Robotics’ approach to “scenario-driven products,” pointing to its flagship product, the Jueying quadruped robot series, comprising its flagship industry-grade X30, as well as the more consumer-facing Lite 30 and M20.
According to him, this series has become “the first in the world” to fully autonomously inspect power substations, with an accuracy rate of 96.5%.
“More than 100 substations across China have adopted our robots and solutions, including those managed by State Grid and Southern Power Grid,” said Zhu, who is also a professor at Zhejiang University.
In addition to utility inspections, DEEP Robotics’ products are used in sectors like emergency firefighting, security patrol, and industrial maintenance.
The company has teamed up with Singapore Power Group to experiment with autonomous tunnel inspection with the aid of its full-size quadrupedal model, X30.
“DEEP Robotics’ core business now spans 50 countries and regions, serving over 1,200 industry applications,” Zhu added.
The executive said the startup had secured the top spot in global market share for quadruped robot applications in 2025, but did not provide any numbers to back up his claims. The Yangtzeer could not find any credible market report or research to substantiate this.
Higher stakes
Due to the rise of embodied intelligence in recent years, China’s quadrupedal robotics has become an increasingly competitive segment, with early movers like DEEP Robotics and Unitree now being joined by up-and-comers like Vita Dynamics.
With the stakes getting higher, industrial applications—often more lucrative—have attracted players to customize their products and services to meet tailored needs of end customers like power grid operators.
As a result, industry veterans like Zhu have been emphasizing the value of “building a standardized ‘robotics plus’ ecosystem” over the years, in a bid to reduce industry barriers and integration costs.
He made that point again at the forum in Beijing, saying that DEEP Robotics is “committed to offering open platforms and technical interfaces” to help construct such an ecosystem.
To meet growing demand for autonomy and intelligence in industrial settings, DEEP Robotics has been scaling up production through flexible automation lines to support its global expansion, Zhu told the audience.
Early last year, DEEP Robotics joined five other top tech companies from Hangzhou—dubbed the “Six Dragons of Hangzhou.” Basking in the afterglow of this fame, the startup completed over 500 million yuan ($72.55 million) in a Series C funding round, officially becoming a unicorn in December last year.
It also filed for an IPO on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Nasdaq-style STAR board the same month, signaling its intent to accelerate growth and global impact.
