Tianji Robotics hits near-$1.4B valuation as force-controlled arms become embodied AI's key supply
创业邦 · wechat · 2026-09-11
A deep-dive on Tianji Intelligent, whose force-controlled robotic arms now serve hundreds of customers including 45 humanoid robot makers, with a near-10B RMB ($1.4B) post-money valuation and explosive Q1 order growth.
Key points:
- Why force control matters: LLMs gave robots a brain, but fine manipulation needs a "cerebellum"—the industry is shifting from locomotion to manipulation, making force-controlled arms essential for training next-gen embodied models
- Path: incubated by Changying Precision in 2015, JV with Yaskawa, pivoted to force-controlled dual arms in 2023; went from 0 to 10,000 units shipped in 2 years
- Division of labor: rivals failed at self-developing arms due to motion control issues; top OEMs now buy rather than build
- Moat: first to self-develop joint torque sensors, first to mass-produce MEMS joint torque sensors, first in China to ship whole-body force control (26 DoF); models now feed back into hardware design
- Next: fine skills like cable insertion, plus custom solutions with dexterous hand makers
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