Underwater embodied-AI startup Gongzhi Ocean raises near-$14M angel round for bionic robot
创业邦 · wechat · 2026-09-10
Gongzhi Ocean, founded by Harbin Engineering University professor Guo Chunyu, closed a near-100M RMB ($14M) angel round. Its 'Hetu' bionic underwater robot replaces propellers with flexible undulating fins plus pump-jet propulsion: 86 dB radiated noise at 3 knots, sediment disturbance 1/500 of conventional gear, >95% target recognition, now in mass production for delivery this year.
- Targets subsea pipeline inspection and offshore wind O&M, deliberately avoiding the crowded hull-cleaning niche where 90% of peers compete
- Intent orders exceed 160M RMB as of Aug 2026; polar ship propulsion and 3D-printed propellers provide early cash flow
- 100% domestic supply chain; founder argues underwater embodied AI skips the 'demo-heavy, low-deployment' phase and heads to deep-sea resources long term
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