Chinese Robotics Companies Face Challenges with Data and AI Development
- Published
- Source
- SCMPTech
At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, experts highlighted the challenges faced by Chinese robotics companies in enhancing their robots' real-world interactions. Industry insiders noted that a lack of sufficient data and advanced AI capabilities, referred to as a better 'brain', hinder the development of embodied AI systems.
Wang Xiaogang, co-founder of SenseTime and chairman of Ace Robotics, emphasized the need for a closed-loop iterative system that integrates hardware, data, models, and real-world scenarios. He pointed out that while training data is collected from human demonstrations, the optimization of hardware design and data-collection methods is essential for improving embodied AI performance.
Yao Maoqing from AgiBot also mentioned that the available multi-modal data about the physical world is inadequate compared to that used in large language models. This shortfall presents a significant bottleneck in training world models, which are crucial for the next generation of humanoid robots to effectively navigate their environments. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
Chinese robot makers’ lament: if we only had a better ‘brain’, and more data
SCMPTech · Wency Chen,Iris DengThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
Rights concerns? Contact [email protected] with the relevant URL and details. We will review the matter and take appropriate action where warranted.
More related news
- 1
- 2
- 3
-
4
ROBOTTODAY Weekly October 19 – 23, 2026 RobotToday · 2 days ago
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related Suppliers
SenseTime (CN) 商汤- 元萝卜
HKEX-listed Chinese AI firm behind SenseNova models and SenseCore cloud, and the SenseRobot home chess and Go robots that move pieces with a robotic arm.
Agibot 智元机器人
Shanghai humanoid-robot manufacturer founded 2023; builds A-series, X-series and D1 quadruped robots and has produced more than 15,000 units to date.
ACE Robotics 大晓机器人
Shanghai embodied-AI startup founded 2025, chaired by a SenseTime co-founder; builds the open Kairos world model and the A1 robot brain module.
Delsys
Natick, MA maker, founded 1993, of Trigno wireless surface EMG and IMU sensors (up to 32 per base) plus an API for myoelectric control of robots and prostheses.
Robot Hosting
Menlo Park AI software company developing cognitive software for mechanical robots and simulated web-based androids, deployed in education and retail.
Koh Young Technology
South Korean pioneer in 3D measurement and inspection systems for SMT electronics manufacturing, with over 25,000 systems deployed globally.
DeepCtrls 深度智控
Nanjing energy-AI startup founded in 2018 by Tsinghua/Berkeley Lab alumni; its IoT platform targets at least 10% facility energy savings.
Deccan AI
Enterprise data company providing expert-curated SFT, RLHF datasets, RL environments and evaluations for training LLMs and AI agents.
DeepAware AI (Robotics Center)
YC S25 San Francisco start-up supplying physical-AI teams with 90+ robot platforms, teleoperation data collection, a robot data marketplace and the RC M1.
Celerity Embedded Design Services, LLC
US embedded design firm providing hardware and firmware development services including FPGA, microprocessor, PCB, and wireless technology designs since 2007.
Tauro Technologies
US embedded systems design firm offering full turnkey development for robotics, autonomous vehicles, defense, and medical platforms.
Datatang 数据堂(北京)科技股份有限公司
Beijing AI training-data supplier founded 2010 and quoted on NEEQ; its Nexdata arm sells egocentric, teleoperation and hand-pose datasets for robot learning.
Robotics needs a service framework.
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
Join the RobotToday community on LinkedIn
Daily robotics news, in-depth analysis, conference highlights, and discussions with professionals worldwide.