Sanbot
Sanbot is a Shenzhen-based commercial service robotics brand under QIHAN Technology that designs, manufactures, and sells humanoid robots — Nano, Elf, Max, and Mini ELF — for enterprise deployments in hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, and public service sectors globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersShenzhen, China
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sanbot does
Sanbot is a commercial service robotics brand operated by QIHAN Technology Co. Ltd, a Shenzhen-headquartered company founded in 2006 as a CCTV and surveillance technology firm that pivoted to service robotics in 2016. Sanbot designs, manufactures, and sells humanoid service robots across four core product models — Sanbot Nano, Elf, Max, and Mini ELF — targeting enterprise deployments in hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, public service, and smart-home applications. The company sells direct to large enterprises, recruits global agents and system integrators, and operates experience stores in tier-one Chinese cities. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with tiered configurations (Professional, Standard, Economic) available on enterprise models.
The product platform is built on a Robot Operating System (ROS) architecture that combines proprietary hardware, the Q-Link mobile application, and the Sanbot Cloud services into a three-in-one ecosystem accessible via an open API. Differentiated technical components include a 60+ sensor array delivering 360-degree wrap-around perception, multi-camera 3D SLAM for autonomous indoor navigation, CNN-based machine vision for facial and object recognition, a six-microphone ring array for 5-meter voice pickup, and bionic arms with 20 degrees of freedom on the Max model. AI capabilities are split between proprietary perception and navigation stacks and third-party foundation integrations: IBM Watson powers multilingual natural language processing for 28–30 languages across the enterprise lineup, and Amazon Alexa is natively integrated into the Nano for smart-home voice control. The company holds over 200 intellectual properties spanning machine vision recognition, multi-axis automatic control, and big data analytics, and operates an R&D manufacturing centre in Guangming District, Shenzhen with stated production capacity exceeding 20,000 units per month. Notable named deployments include 50 units at Gongbei Customs (Mainland China–Macau immigration), in-store guidance for Oppein across 4,200+ retail locations, translation and information services at Macau Airport, and recruitment-fair interviewing for Dubai Police.
The business model blends hardware unit sales with a Robotics-as-a-Service orientation delivered through industry-specific solutions including the Multi-Service Platform System (MPS) for retail operations management and the Remote Digital Assistant (RDA) for remote service scenarios. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales, a global agent and system integrator recruitment program with stated ambitions of 100+ sales/service stations and 1,000 enterprise deployments, regional distributors such as TSN in Mexico and Latin America, and active presence at major global technology exhibitions including CES, IFA, MWC, World Robot Conference, Innorobo, CareTEX, and GESS Dubai. Sanbot claims 87.2% domestic market share in China excluding Tibet and substantial media coverage across 300+ outlets including CCTV, BBC, Reuters, CNN, Forbes, and TechCrunch. The company operates as a private, founder-influenced subsidiary of QIHAN Technology with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or public listing.
Sanbot firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sanbot
- Legal name
- Sanbot Innovation Technology., Ltd
- Website
- https://en.sanbot.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Sanbot is a Shenzhen-based commercial service robotics brand under QIHAN Technology that designs, manufactures, and sells humanoid robots — Nano, Elf, Max, and Mini ELF — for enterprise deployments in hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, and public service sectors globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sanbot industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Service Robotics
- NAICS
- Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Service & Hospitality Robots (HDAAAIAB)
Keywords
Where Sanbot is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shenzhen
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sanbot business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of humanoid service robots including Sanbot Nano, Elf, Max, and Mini ELF models to enterprise customers
- Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS): Customized open ecosystem combining hardware, apps, and cloud services with solutions for specific industries including education, healthcare, retail, and hospitality
- Industry-Specific Solutions: Multi-Service Platform System (MPS) and Remote Digital Assistant (RDA) solutions for enterprise deployment with custom development
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Sanbot Max - Professional Version |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Sanbot Max - Standard Version |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Sanbot Max - Economic Version |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Sanbot product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sanbot designs, manufactures, and sells cloud-enabled humanoid commercial service robots (Nano, Elf, Max, Mini ELF) on a Hardware + App + Cloud-service trinity ecosystem with an open API for customization. The robots deliver autonomous navigation, facial recognition, voice interaction, and multilingual customer-service functionality for hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, and public-service enterprises. Recurring value comes from the Sanbot Cloud platform, Q-Link mobile app, and industry-specific solutions like the Multi-Service Platform System.
Product overview
Sanbot is a cloud-enabled commercial service robot platform developed by Qihan Technology. The product portfolio consists of four main robot models (Sanbot Nano, Sanbot Elf, Sanbot Max, and Mini ELF) designed for hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, public service, and home applications. The platform follows a 'Hardware + App + Cloud-service' three-in-one ecosystem architecture with an open API that enables developers to create industry-specific solutions. Key differentiators include integration with Amazon Alexa (Nano) and IBM Watson (Elf/Max) for AI capabilities, 3D SLAM navigation, facial recognition, multi-language support (up to 30+ languages), and modular customization from hardware attachments to software applications. The platform supports various add-on solutions including MPS (Multi-Service Platform System) for retail operations and RDA (Remote Digital Assistant) for remote services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Q-Link: Mobile application for remote control and management of Sanbot robots
Products and services
- Sanbot Nano Smart companion robot powered by Amazon Alexa for smart-home and home-entertainment use, with voice interaction, IoT control of home appliances, remote video/audio calling via Q-Link App, family entertainment, and access to Sanbot's App Store.
- Sanbot Elf Intelligent humanoid service robot for high-level scenarios in hospitality, retail, and public service, featuring 10.1-inch HD touchscreen, 720P HD laser projector with up to 65-inch projection, 12 freely moving wheels for 360-degree navigation, 60+ sensors, animated motion arms with 250 color options, and a 3D camera for gesture recognition.
- Sanbot Max Leading humanoid service robot positioned as a co-worker for reception, navigation, facial recognition, security patrol, and office assistance; features 3D SLAM navigation, 5 m/s max speed, 75 kg load capacity, bionic arms with 20 degrees of freedom, 18-hour battery life, and modular attachment ports for printers, medical equipment, or ATM accessories.
- Mini ELF Compact version of the Sanbot Elf designed for space-constrained environments while retaining the core service-robot capabilities of the platform.
- Sanbot Cloud Cloud computing platform that powers the Sanbot trinity ecosystem of Robot Terminal + App + Cloud-service, providing AI capabilities, data storage, remote services, and third-party data integration for enterprise robot fleets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 87.2% domestic market share in China
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Sanbot
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sanbot technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Sanbot partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, component and regional.
- IBM WatsoncoreIBM Watson-powered AI capabilities enable Sanbot to recognize and communicate in 30+ languages. Demonstrated at IBM Forum 2017 with smart card payments and language recognition solutions. IBM CTO Robert High supervised joint solutions development.
- Alibaba GroupmajorAlibaba invited Sanbot to Gitex Exhibition in Dubai for promotional activities. Alibaba's e-commerce platform and marketing channels provided visibility for Sanbot's international expansion into Middle East markets.
- Sony CorporationcomponentForward-sensing cameras supplied by Sony for Sanbot robot's visual recognition capabilities.
- Sharp Corporationcomponent10.1 inch 1080P touchscreen displays from Sharp installed on every Sanbot robot.
- Panasonic CorporationcomponentUR18650AA battery cells used in Sanbot Max for power supply with 1548Wh rated energy capacity.
- TSN (Telecomunicaciones y Servicios del Norte)regionalMexican company manufacturing and supplying integrated telecommunication systems, security, and mobile units. Showcased Sanbot at ESM Expo Seguridad Mexico, the leading security event in Latin America.
- Tencent GroupcomponentCooperative partnership with Tencent for AI and cloud services integration.
- Baidu GroupcomponentCooperative partnership with Baidu for AI technology and search capabilities.
- AudimajorSanbot robots participated in Audi A4L car launch event, demonstrating brand complementarity between AI robotics and automotive industry. Sanbot provided hosting, product demonstrations, and promotional entertainment.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sanbot competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- iRobot: Established consumer robotics incumbent (Roomba) with broader scale and brand; adjacent rather than direct competitor, but a useful benchmark for global consumer/prosumer robotics distribution.
- Boston Dynamics: Established humanoid/mobile manipulation robot maker (Atlas, Stretch) backed by Hyundai; broader scope than Sanbot but increasingly competing in commercial service robotics.
Direct peers
- UBTech Robotics: Chinese humanoid and AI robot maker (Walker, Alpha, Cruzr) directly competing with Sanbot in commercial service, education and retail segments with similar pricing and positioning.
- Pudu Robotics: Chinese commercial service robot company focused on restaurant and hospitality delivery robots; directly comparable in customer base and price tier to Sanbot's hospitality offerings.
- OrionStar: Cheetah Mobile subsidiary building service humanoid robots (e.g., OrionStar Lucki) for retail, hospitality and restaurant use cases, directly comparable to Sanbot's commercial positioning.
- Hanson Robotics: Developer of Sophia and other humanoid service robots targeting customer service, healthcare and education — overlapping use cases and buyer profiles with Sanbot.
- SoftBank Robotics: Developer of Pepper and other humanoid service robots targeted at retail, hospitality and public service — the most direct global competitor to Sanbot in commercial humanoid service robotics.
- Keenon Robotics: Chinese commercial service robot vendor specializing in restaurant, hotel and hospital delivery robots; competes head-to-head with Sanbot in Asia-Pacific service verticals.
- CloudMinds Technology: Cloud-based humanoid service robot company competing with Sanbot in enterprise-facing humanoid robotics, with overlapping GTM in healthcare, retail and public service verticals.
Emerging players
- Agility Robotics: Creator of Digit, a bipedal humanoid robot for logistics and workplace service tasks; comparable to Sanbot Max's positioning as a service 'co-worker' but focused on industrial logistics rather than hospitality.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sanbot social profiles
Digital presenceSanbot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sanbot leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sanbot funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sanbot 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 Sanbot
What does Sanbot do?
Sanbot designs, manufactures, and sells cloud-enabled humanoid commercial service robots (Nano, Elf, Max, Mini ELF) on a Hardware + App + Cloud-service trinity ecosystem with an open API for customization. The robots deliver autonomous navigation, facial recognition, voice interaction, and multilingual customer-service functionality for hospitality, retail, healthcare, education, and public-service enterprises. Recurring value comes from the Sanbot Cloud platform, Q-Link mobile app, and industry-specific solutions like the Multi-Service Platform System.
Is Sanbot a public or private company?
Sanbot is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sanbot founded?
Sanbot was founded in 2006. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Sanbot based?
Sanbot is headquartered in Shenzhen, China, in the Asia region.
How does Sanbot make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) and industry-Specific Solutions.
Who are Sanbot's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are iRobot and Boston Dynamics. Direct peers are UBTech Robotics, Pudu Robotics, OrionStar, Hanson Robotics, SoftBank Robotics, Keenon Robotics and CloudMinds Technology. Agility Robotics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sanbot have an API?
Yes. Sanbot offers an open API platform that enables developers and companies to create new roles and customized applications for the service robot across various industries. The open API platform allows developers to build Android applications and program different kinds of knowledge and personal ID information with more than 30 languages. The platform supports customization from appearance, hardware, software, to content and applications. Sanbot ROS (Robot Operating System) is described as the leading open API humanoid operation system enabling remote control management, data storage and analysis, third-party data integration, and hardware socialization. Developer documentation is at blue.sanbotcloud.com:98/dev/index/index.html?lang=en-us.
What industry is Sanbot in?
Sanbot's product category is Commercial Service Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAB, Service & Hospitality Robots. Its NAICS code is 333310 and its SIC code is 7373.