Xiantu Qiyuan, spun out from NUDT robotics lab, raises tens of millions yuan in seed round

Written by Lei Zitong | Edited by Chen Xiaoping

Another seasoned robotics team has entered the entrepreneurial arena.

In late September, Beijing Xiantu Qiyuan Technology completed its industrial and commercial registration update, adding "Changsha Qifu SME Development Investment Fund" as a new shareholder, marking the company's first equity financing round since its inception.

The seed round raised tens of millions of RMB, with Qifu Capital holding approximately 6.25% equity. Several other investment institutions are currently in the process of closing their investments.

Company Background

Founded in June of this year, Xiantu Qiyuan positions itself as an "Embodied Intelligence Task Execution Expert." The core team originates from the Robotics Laboratory of the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), bringing with it approximately 30 years of R&D experience.

In 2000, the laboratory developed China's first humanoid robot, "Xianxingzhe" (Pioneer), achieving the country's first breakthrough in bipedal humanoid robotics. During the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, the team also led the development of China's first-generation quadruped bionic robot, "Tie Ma" (Iron Horse).

Image: Successive generations of humanoid robots developed by the NUDT Robotics Laboratory

Leadership Team

• Qin Haili, Chairman and CEO, holds a Master's degree in Control Science and Engineering from NUDT. With 20 years of experience in military equipment systems and scientific research project management, he possesses deep insight into the requirements and development patterns of specialized equipment.
• An Honglei, CTO, holds a Ph.D. from the School of Intelligence Science at NUDT and previously served as Deputy Director of the Robotics Laboratory. He has served as Chief Systems Engineer for National Key R&D Programs and 863 Program projects, and has long focused on solving application challenges for robots in specialized industries.

Core Capabilities

Xiantu Qiyuan has built a comprehensive and rare capability system, featuring full-stack R&D capabilities spanning hardware to algorithms and software to hardware. This enables high-level technology reuse across quadruped and humanoid platforms.

"For robots to move from the lab to the frontlines of industry, the real test is never about flashy single-point demonstrations, but whether they can complete tasks stably under real-world operating conditions."

Based on this philosophy, management has prioritized two product categories that customers genuinely need and are willing to pay for:

1. Quadruped Robots for Special Operations and Hazardous Environments

These products target real-world scenarios including:

• Emergency rescue
• Power grid inspection
• Hazardous environment operations
• Complex terrain transportation

They are designed to replace personnel in dangerous, unstructured environments. Future plans include multi-robot cluster collaboration technology to handle large-scale, highly complex coordinated tasks.

2. Mobile Manipulation Robots for Industrial Scenarios

Among various complex operating conditions, the power sector is Xiantu Qiyuan's preferred entry point due to:

• High environmental enclosure
• Extremely stringent safety requirements
• Mature task workflows
• Clear customer willingness and ability to pay
• Demanding requirements for robot "hand-eye-brain" coordination

The company's core technical personnel have long supported leading power industry clients, enabling them to deploy robots in real industrial settings and tackle the most difficult "last centimeter" challenges, turning them into deliverable, verifiable, and stable productivity.

Vision and Funding Use

"The generation of 'Xianxingzhe' gave China its own humanoid robot. Our generation's mission is to truly bring robots out of the lab and into the field — to become reliable partners on the frontlines of emergency rescue, on power grids, and in wind farms."

— Qin Haili

The funds from this round will be primarily used for:

• Building the R&D team
• Developing and preparing for mass production of quadruped robots
• Joint R&D and scenario deployment of mobile manipulation robots for industrial settings

Roadmap

• 2026: Complete development of the basic quadruped product and begin small-batch delivery
• 2027: Scale delivery of quadruped robots for special operations and public safety applications both domestically and internationally, as well as industrial mobile manipulation robots for key scenarios such as the power sector