Robot Era
Robot Era is a Beijing-based humanoid robotics company, spun out of Tsinghua University in 2023, that develops VLA-model-driven humanoid robots (STAR1, Q5, Xingdong M7) with 95%+ in-house hardware for enterprise customers in logistics, manufacturing, and retail across China, North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersHaidian, China
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Robot Era does
Robot Era (北京星动纪元, Beijing Xingdongjiyuan Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese embodied intelligence and humanoid robotics company founded in 2023 as a Tsinghua University spinout, headquartered in Beijing's Haidian district. The company designs, manufactures, and sells humanoid robots powered by proprietary Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models and an in-house hardware stack where over 95% of core components—including the industry's first full direct-drive dexterous hand and 7-DOF articulated arms—are developed internally. Its product line comprises three core platforms: STAR1 (advanced mobility, demonstrated via a viral moonwalk video), Q5 (multi-sector deployments), and Xingdong M7 (equipped with 3D LiDAR and 7-DOF arms, deployed for high-volume parcel sorting).
The company's commercial model is direct enterprise hardware sales supplemented by technology licensing. Major customers include China Post (mail sorting at the Guangzhou hub processing 6.5M parcels/day), SF Express (deployments across 10+ logistics centers), and Renault (manufacturing operations), with over USD 70 million in 2025 commercial orders and 500M+ yuan in orders from major clients. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, but production costs in the broader Chinese humanoid market range from 39,800 to 1 million yuan (~$5,700-$142,000) per unit. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with strategic distribution partnerships (notably SF Express, which also led the April 2026 funding round), and the geographic footprint spans North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the domestic Chinese market. Robot Era has achieved unicorn status with a valuation above $1.4 billion as of April 2026, having raised over $611M cumulatively across eight funding rounds led by SF Express, Geely Capital, CDH Investments, Alibaba, and others, and initiated thousand-unit deliveries in Q2 2026 with reported growth exceeding 300%.
Robot Era firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Robot Era
- Legal name
- 北京星动纪元科技有限公司
- Website
- https://robotera.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Robot Era is a Beijing-based humanoid robotics company, spun out of Tsinghua University in 2023, that develops VLA-model-driven humanoid robots (STAR1, Q5, Xingdong M7) with 95%+ in-house hardware for enterprise customers in logistics, manufacturing, and retail across China, North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Robot Era industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanoid Robotics
- NAICS
- Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924)
- SIC
- General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Humanoid & General-Purpose Robots (HDAAAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA), Robot Hardware, Actuators & Components (sensors, grippers, motors) (HDAAAIAL), Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK), Industrial Robotics & Cobots (IMAIAMAB)
Keywords
Where Robot Era is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Haidian
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Robot Era business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Humanoid Robot Hardware Sales: Sale of humanoid robots including STAR1, Q5, and Xingdong M7 models to enterprise customers for industrial applications
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary robotics technology and components to other robotics companies
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise robotics systems |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Robot Era product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Robot Era designs, manufactures, and sells humanoid robots — including the STAR1, Q5, and Xingdong M7 models — equipped with proprietary Vision-Language-Action embodied AI, 3D LiDAR perception, and an industry-first full direct-drive dexterous hand. The robots are deployed for industrial and logistics automation tasks such as parcel sorting, warehouse operations, and manufacturing support for enterprise customers. The company also licenses its proprietary robotics technology and components to other robotics firms.
Product overview
Robot Era is an embodied intelligence company that develops humanoid robots including STAR1, Q5, and Xingdong M7 models. The company has achieved product-market fit with deployments across more than 10 logistics centers in partnership with China Post and SF Group. Robot Era has developed an in-house robotics hardware system with over 95% of core components developed internally, including the industry's first full direct-drive dexterous hand. The robots are deployed in logistics, retail, and manufacturing sectors across North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- STAR1 Humanoid robot designed for industrial inspection and logistics applications, featuring advanced mobility capabilities and complex locomotion including demonstrated moonwalk performance.
- Q5 Humanoid robot variant developed by Robot Era for logistics, retail, and manufacturing sector deployments.
- Xingdong M7 Humanoid robot unit equipped with 3D LiDAR and articulated arms with 7 degrees of freedom, deployed for automated parcel sorting at China Post facilities, processing up to 1,200 parcels per hour per robot.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,200 parcels processed per hour per robot at China Post facilities
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Robot Era
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Robot Era technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature4 records
Robot Era partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered unclear.
- Boston DynamicsunclearTechnology adopter; Robot Era's technology has been adopted by Boston Dynamics, indicating technology licensing or integration partnership.
- NVIDIAunclearTechnology adopter; Robot Era's technology adopted by NVIDIA, suggesting potential VLA model integration or technology licensing.
- AppleunclearTechnology adopter; Robot Era's technology adopted by Apple, though nature of partnership unclear.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Robot Era competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Unitree Robotics: Chinese humanoid and quadruped robot maker with comparable product portfolio (H1, G1 humanoid models). Directly competes with Robot Era in the Chinese humanoid robotics market across logistics and industrial applications.
- Fourier Intelligence: Shanghai-based humanoid robotics company developing the GR-1 and GR-2 general-purpose humanoid robots. Directly competes with Robot Era in commercializing humanoid robots for industrial and service applications.
- Agility Robotics: US-based humanoid robotics company developing Digit for logistics and warehouse automation. Directly comparable to Robot Era in targeting logistics customers with bipedal humanoid robots.
- Figure AI: US humanoid robotics startup developing Figure 01/02 general-purpose humanoid robots for commercial deployment, including BMW manufacturing partnerships. Competes directly with Robot Era for enterprise humanoid robotics customers.
- Apptronik: Texas-based humanoid robotics company developing the Apollo robot for logistics and manufacturing applications. Directly comparable in target use cases (logistics, automotive manufacturing) and customer profile (enterprise B2B).
- Sanctuary AI: Canadian humanoid robotics company developing Phoenix general-purpose humanoid robot with Carbon AI control system. Comparable in pursuing general-purpose humanoid robots with AI-driven autonomy for commercial work.
Broad incumbents
- Boston Dynamics: Established leader in advanced robotics (Atlas humanoid, Spot quadruped). While broader in scope, Boston Dynamics competes in humanoid robotics and is reportedly a technology adopter of Robot Era's components.
- Tesla (Optimus): Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program represents the most capitalized competitor in humanoid robotics, with Tesla's manufacturing scale and AI expertise posing long-term competitive threat to all humanoid robotics startups including Robot Era.
Emerging players
- AgiBot: Chinese humanoid robotics startup (also known as Zhiyuan Robotics) backed by major Chinese tech investors. Competes directly with Robot Era in the Chinese market for general-purpose humanoid robots targeting industrial applications.
- UBTECH Robotics: Chinese humanoid robotics company with Walker series humanoid robots and broader service robotics portfolio. Comparable in targeting commercial humanoid applications, though with earlier-stage commercial deployments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Robot Era social profiles
Digital presenceRobot Era financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Robot Era leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Robot Era funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors59 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Robot Era M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Robot Era
What does Robot Era do?
Robot Era designs, manufactures, and sells humanoid robots — including the STAR1, Q5, and Xingdong M7 models — equipped with proprietary Vision-Language-Action embodied AI, 3D LiDAR perception, and an industry-first full direct-drive dexterous hand. The robots are deployed for industrial and logistics automation tasks such as parcel sorting, warehouse operations, and manufacturing support for enterprise customers. The company also licenses its proprietary robotics technology and components to other robotics firms.
Is Robot Era a public or private company?
Robot Era is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Robot Era founded?
Robot Era was founded in 2023. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Robot Era based?
Robot Era is headquartered in Haidian, China, in the Asia region.
How does Robot Era make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Humanoid Robot Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing.
Who are Robot Era's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Unitree Robotics, Fourier Intelligence, Agility Robotics, Figure AI, Apptronik and Sanctuary AI. Broad incumbents are Boston Dynamics and Tesla (Optimus). Emerging players are AgiBot and UBTECH Robotics.
Does Robot Era have an API?
No public API is recorded for Robot Era.
What industry is Robot Era in?
Robot Era's product category is Humanoid Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAJ, Humanoid & General-Purpose Robots, with a secondary code of HDAAAIAA, Industrial & Warehouse Robotics. Its NAICS code is 3333 and its SIC code is 3560.