Preferred Robotics
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Preferred Robotics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Preferred Robotics
- Legal name
- 株式会社Preferred Robotics
- Website
- https://pfrobotics.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Preferred Robotics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autonomous Mobile Robots (Service Robotics)
- NAICS
- Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)
- SIC
- Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK)
Keywords
Where Preferred Robotics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Preferred Robotics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) Hardware Sales: Sale of proprietary autonomous mobile robots including Kachaka Pro and Kachaka Evo. Products are sold directly to enterprise customers (factories, healthcare, offices, restaurants) and to individual consumers via kachaka.life. Revenue generated from one-time hardware purchases with potential for ongoing software support.
- Technology Licensing / OEM Embedded Software: Licensing of AI and autonomous mobility software to third-party robot manufacturers. The company's technology is embedded into Amano's RAPiiTT commercial robot vacuum and HAPiiBOT cleaning robot, generating revenue through technology licensing and co-development arrangements.
- Co-development and Engineering Services: Joint product development partnerships with companies like JR East for railway infrastructure maintenance robots and Amano for cleaning robots. Revenue derived from R&D collaboration, engineering services, and technology integration projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | RAPiiTT - Open pricing for commercial cleaning robot |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Preferred Robotics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Preferred Robotics designs, builds, and sells autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) under the Kachaka brand (Kachaka Pro, Kachaka Evo) for industrial and commercial material transport, plus the Kachaka Fleet Manager multi-robot control system. Through partnerships, the company supplies the AI and autonomous-mobility software that powers Amano's HAPiiBOT and RAPiiTT commercial cleaning robots, and is co-developing an autonomous railway-infrastructure inspection robot with JR East. All offerings share a proprietary SLAM, navigation, deep-learning, and embedded-systems technology stack originally developed with parent company Preferred Networks.
Product overview
Preferred Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and related software for industrial, commercial, and consumer applications. The product portfolio centers on the Kachaka series of material transport robots (Kachaka Pro, Kachaka Evo) plus the Kachaka Fleet Manager multi-robot control system, supplemented by cleaning robots developed with partner Amano (HAPiiBOT and RAPiiTT). The company also develops railway inspection robots in partnership with JR East. All products share core technology including proprietary SLAM, navigation systems, deep learning, and embedded systems developed in-house, with foundational research from parent company Preferred Networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kachaka Pro (カチャカプロ): Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) characterized by small size and low cost, deployed in factories, healthcare facilities, restaurants, and offices. Features proprietary SLAM technology, navigation system, and deep learning capabilities.
- Kachaka Evo (カチャカEvo)
- HAPiiBOT (ハピボット)
- Kachaka Fleet Manager (カチャカフリートマネージャー)
Products and services
- Kachaka Pro (カチャカプロ) Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) for material transport characterized by small size and low cost. Equipped with proprietary SLAM technology, navigation system, and a deep-learning model developed with Preferred Networks, it automatically selects the optimum route and transports goods without collisions across factories, healthcare facilities, restaurants, and offices.
- Kachaka Evo (カチャカEvo) Compact Kachaka-series transport robot with 100kg carrying capacity, designed for autonomous material transport in industrial and commercial environments.
- Kachaka Fleet Manager (カチャカフリートマネージャー) Multi-robot control system enabling simultaneous management and coordination of multiple Kachaka autonomous mobile robots, allowing operators to manage fleets for large-scale warehouse, factory, or facility operations.
- HAPiiBOT (ハピボット) Small commercial floor cleaning robot jointly developed with Amano Co., Ltd. Uses AI image recognition and Preferred Robotics' proprietary SLAM technology for enhanced autonomous mobility; deployed in retail stores, factories, stations, and other diverse commercial environments.
- RAPiiTT (ラピット) Dry commercial robot vacuum cleaner manufactured and sold by Amano Co., Ltd., powered by Preferred Robotics' AI and autonomous-mobility software evolved from HAPiiBOT and Kachaka. Features elevator and security-system integration for multi-floor autonomous cleaning, cloud-based unified management, and remote support; maximum cleaning width 500mm with cyclone dust collection.
- Railway Infrastructure Maintenance Robot Autonomous railway-track inspection robot co-developed with JR East (East Japan Railway Company). The robot autonomously traverses railway tracks and automatically captures visual and sensor data to enable labor savings and improved safety in railway infrastructure maintenance.
Quantifiable outcome
- AMR domestic market share #1 in Japan (as of April 2025)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Preferred Robotics
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Preferred Robotics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability8 records
Feature5 records
Preferred Robotics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- JR East (East Japan Railway Company)corePreferred Robotics and JR East are jointly developing robots to automate railway infrastructure inspection. The robots use Preferred Robotics' AI image analysis and robotics technologies to autonomously traverse railway tracks, capturing visual data with cameras and sensors to automate inspection tasks. The goal is to reduce labor costs and improve safety in railway infrastructure maintenance.
- Amano CorporationcorePreferred Robotics and Amano jointly developed HAPiiBOT, a small commercial floor cleaning robot with AI-powered autonomous mobility using proprietary SLAM technology. The partnership was extended with RAPiiTT, a dry commercial robot vacuum cleaner launched in July 2026, where Preferred Robotics' AI and autonomous mobility software is embedded. Amano handles manufacturing, sales, distribution, and customer support while Preferred Robotics provides core AI/robotics technology. Amano invested 2 billion JPY in Preferred Robotics in November 2021.
- Preferred NetworkscorePreferred Robotics is a spin-off from Preferred Networks. The parent company provides access to supercomputing infrastructure and neural architecture search capabilities that Preferred Robotics leverages for deep learning model optimization. The two companies share technology and talent, with Preferred Networks also developing deep learning models used in Kachaka robots.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Preferred Robotics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OMRON Corporation: OMRON's LD series autonomous mobile robots are deployed across factories, warehouses, and healthcare facilities globally. Direct competitor in the same AMR category targeting similar industrial and intralogistics customers with comparable navigation and fleet management capabilities.
- Geek+: Geek+ is one of the world's largest AMR providers, with picking, moving, and sorting robots deployed in warehouses and factories globally. Direct competitor offering autonomous mobile robots with SLAM-based navigation and fleet management for the same enterprise intralogistics use cases.
- Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR): MiR manufactures autonomous mobile robots for internal logistics in manufacturing, warehouses, and healthcare. Acquired by Teradyne, MiR offers AMRs with similar SLAM-based navigation and fleet control targeting the same industrial material handling use cases as Preferred Robotics' Kachaka line.
- Locus Robotics: Locus Robotics builds autonomous mobile robots for warehouse order fulfillment, with large-scale deployments at retailers and 3PLs. Direct peer in autonomous mobile robotics targeting logistics and material transport use cases, though with greater scale and funding in the warehouse vertical.
- SoftBank Robotics: SoftBank Robotics develops commercial service robots including the Whiz autonomous cleaning vacuum and the Pepper humanoid. Direct competitor in commercial cleaning robotics with overlapping target customers, and a broader humanoid robotics portfolio.
- Avidbots: Avidbots manufactures autonomous commercial floor cleaning robots (Neo) for retail, airports, and industrial facilities. Direct competitor in the commercial cleaning robot category, with comparable AI navigation and similar enterprise customers.
- Fetch Robotics (Zebra Technologies): Fetch Robotics develops autonomous mobile robots for warehouse and manufacturing material transport, now part of Zebra Technologies. Direct competitor in industrial and warehouse AMR with overlapping cloud-based fleet management and similar target customers.
Broad incumbents
- Toyota Industries Corporation: Toyota Industries is a major Japanese industrial automation player with logistics solutions including automated guided vehicles and material handling systems. Broader incumbent in industrial automation, where Preferred Robotics' CTO previously led Toyota Partner Robotics and direct competition overlaps in factory AMR deployments.
Emerging players
- Mujin Inc. Mujin is a Japanese warehouse robotics company focused on intelligent motion planning for industrial robot arms and AMRs. Comparable Japanese-headquartered robotics company with overlapping computer vision and industrial automation capabilities, serving warehouse and manufacturing customers.
- QBIT Robotics: QBIT Robotics is a Japanese service robotics company building autonomous café and food service robots, with overlap to Preferred Robotics' restaurant segment and shared talent lineage in the Japanese robotics ecosystem. Emerging player in a more niche service segment with partial overlap to Preferred Robotics' product breadth.
Market position
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Preferred Robotics social profiles
Digital presencePreferred Robotics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Preferred Robotics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Preferred Robotics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Preferred Robotics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Preferred Robotics
What does Preferred Robotics do?
Preferred Robotics designs, builds, and sells autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) under the Kachaka brand (Kachaka Pro, Kachaka Evo) for industrial and commercial material transport, plus the Kachaka Fleet Manager multi-robot control system. Through partnerships, the company supplies the AI and autonomous-mobility software that powers Amano's HAPiiBOT and RAPiiTT commercial cleaning robots, and is co-developing an autonomous railway-infrastructure inspection robot with JR East. All offerings share a proprietary SLAM, navigation, deep-learning, and embedded-systems technology stack originally developed with parent company Preferred Networks.
Is Preferred Robotics a public or private company?
Preferred Robotics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Preferred Robotics founded?
Preferred Robotics was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Preferred Robotics based?
Preferred Robotics is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Preferred Robotics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing / OEM Embedded Software and co-development and Engineering Services.
Who are Preferred Robotics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OMRON Corporation, Geek+, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), Locus Robotics, SoftBank Robotics, Avidbots and Fetch Robotics (Zebra Technologies). Toyota Industries Corporation is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Mujin Inc. and QBIT Robotics.
Does Preferred Robotics have an API?
Yes. Preferred Robotics offers a developer-facing API for the Kachaka product line. In August 2023, the company released an external developer API alongside remote operation functionality, enabling third-party developers to build applications that interact with Kachaka robots. The API supports remote control and integration with external systems. No public API documentation URL or SDK information is available in the source material.
What industry is Preferred Robotics in?
Preferred Robotics's product category is Autonomous Mobile Robots (Service Robotics). Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAA, Industrial & Warehouse Robotics, with a secondary code of HDAAAIAK, Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins). Its NAICS code is 333924 and its SIC code is 3530.