Kepler Robotics
Shanghai Kepler Robot builds full-size industrial humanoids; its current model, the K2 "Bumblebee", uses planetary roller screw linear actuators combined with rotary actuators and has been trialled at SAIC-GM, Zhaofeng and Chunmi facilities. It reported revenue of RMB 4.3372 million and a net loss of RMB 66.939 million for 2025, with over RMB 47 million in orders on hand. In 2026 the A-share listed Hangzhou Kelin Electric took a 51% controlling stake, which values Kepler at roughly RMB 720 million.
2 humanoid models · 6 deployments on file · researched 2026-11-08
- Headquarters
- Shanghai, China
- Founded
- 2023
- Ownership
- Private · owned by Hangzhou Kelin Electric Co., Ltd. (688611.SH) — 51% controlling stake; business registration change completed per filing dated 2026-08-20
- Website
- gotokepler.com
- Focus
- industrial, logistics, research, education
- Leadership
- Yang Hua (杨华) Founder, actual controller and legal representative ↗
Hu Debo Co-founder and CEO ↗ - Revenue
- CNY 4,337,200 (2025, company total (audited; net loss RMB 66.939M; Q1 2026 revenue RMB 2.6363M)) ↗
- Last round
- strategic (control acquisition by Hangzhou Kelin: 41.57% for up to RMB 300 million, taking it to 51%) · 2026-08
- Investors
- Hangzhou Kelin Electric, Jiangyin Xiachuang Yihao Artificial Intelligence Investment Partnership, Zhaofeng (兆丰股份), Veichi Electric (伟创电气), Keli Sensing (柯力传感), Furende (福然德), Tao Motor (涛涛车业), Hanwei Technology (汉威科技), Qiaofeng Intelligent (乔峰智能)
- Production
- Mass production of the K2 announced 2025-09-26. In 2025-06 the CEO said fifth-generation robots were 'in limited-series production'. Hangzhou Kelin's 2026-05 disclosure cites orders on hand of over RMB 47 million. ↗
1
Humanoids
Each model as the maker has shown it. Specs are maker-stated; a dash means no source states the figure.
| Model | Status | Announced | Height | Weight | DoF | Payload | Runtime | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K2 "Bumblebee" (Forerunner K2) ↗Hybrid series-parallel design (planetary roller screw linear + rotary actuators), 81.3% energy efficiency, 1 h charge for 8 h of work, 15 kg per arm, 11-DoF hands with 25 force points per finger, 100 TOPS onboard compute, 80+ sensors | Commercial | 2024 | 175 cm | 75 kg | 52 | 30 kg | 8 h | $30KBase model US$30,000 according to Kepler (The Robot Report, 2025-06). The Sept 2025 mass-production announcement gave RMB 248,000 ("around $34,000" per Robotics & Automation News). |
| Forerunner (K1) ↗Debuted at CES 2024. Five-fingered hands with 12 DoF; roller screw actuators give up to 8,000 N of thrust at the elbow, knee and ankle; Nebula AI system. Production was planned for Q3 2024. | Prototype | 2024-01 | 178 cm | 85 kg | — | — | — | not published; New Atlas wrote it 'ought to go for about $30,000' (press estimate) |
2
Deployments
Named customers, what the robots do there, and how far it has gone.
| Customer | What | When | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAIC-GM ↗ | K2 testing at the Shanghai plant: quality inspections, handling large parts, loading stamped components | 2025-04 | Trial |
| SAIC-GM ↗ | K2 has entered the SAIC-GM logistics factory | 2026 | Pilot |
| Zhaofeng ↗ | K2 in Zhaofeng's component production workshops | 2026 | Pilot |
| Chunmi ↗ | Dozens of K2s worked as 'special employees' at Chunmi's factory over Lunar New Year: workpiece gripping, loading/unloading, bin moving, patrol and anomaly monitoring | 2026-02 | Pilot |
| Undisclosed customer ↗ | Took part in what Kepler calls the world's first human-robot collaborative high-altitude welding operation | — | Pilot |
| Undisclosed customer ↗ | Framework agreements covering several thousand K2 units, total contract value in the hundreds of millions of yuan (customer names not disclosed) | 2025-09 | Order |
3
Dated facts
Milestones, orders, factories and filings, newest first.
- 2026-08Hangzhou Kelin shareholders approved the acquisition on 5 June 2026. The business registration change was completed, making Kepler a 51%-owned consolidated subsidiary (announcement 2026-018). ↗
- 2026-05Kepler signed an agreement to settle in Xiake Bay Science City, Jiangyin, and is building a Jiangyin subsidiary. In May 2026 it raised a strategic round of 'tens of millions of yuan' led by Jiangyin Xiachuang Yihao. ↗
- 2026-05After an April 2026 strategy shift toward an embodied-intelligence brain and force-tactile data, Kepler released Kepler-OmniTac, a force-tactile data acquisition suite (exoskeleton plus tactile gloves) built for its VTLA model. ↗
- 2026-05Hangzhou Kelin announced it would buy 41.57% of Kepler for up to RMB 300 million to reach 51% control, implying a valuation of about RMB 720 million. Kepler's 2025 audited revenue was RMB 4.3372M and its net loss RMB 66.939M. ↗
- 2026-02Hangzhou Kelin Electric paid RMB 100 million for a 9.43% stake bought from founder Yang Hua (agreement dated 2025-12-31); Kepler announced it on 6 Feb 2026 as 'over 100 million yuan' strategic financing. ↗
- 2025-09Kepler announced mass production of the K2 Bumblebee at RMB 248,000, with framework agreements for several thousand units. ↗
- 2025-05Kepler showed the K2 Bumblebee at ICRA 2025 in Atlanta. The CEO said its fifth-generation robots were in limited-series production and that over 80% of core hardware is developed and made in-house. ↗
- 2024-01The Forerunner humanoid (178 cm, 85 kg) was set to debut at CES 2024. ↗
- 2023-08Shanghai Kepler Robot Co., Ltd. was established on 15 August 2023; registered capital RMB 4.105661 million; registered in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. ↗
4
Not yet confirmed
Claims seen in only one non-official place. Shown so they can be checked, not as findings.
- Gasgoo (2026-05-15) names the CEO as 'Song Hua'; Gasgoo (2026-05-20) and The Robot Report name Hu Debo as CEO. Possibly a mistranslation of Yang Hua.
- Pudong government English site (2026-04-24) says Kepler 'secured a billion-yuan funding round'; no other source supports this.
- TMTPost/Sina says Kepler closed an RMB 100M-level A++ round in April 2026 led by SAIF, with Noblelift (诺力智能) and Minbao Optoelectronics (民爆光电) following, and that the Dec 2025 Kelin entry implied a RMB 1 billion valuation (states 10.00%, while the filing says 9.43%).
- K2 weight: The Robot Report gives 75 kg (2025); several third-party spec sites give 85 kg (that is the K1 figure in New Atlas).
- Rocking Robots lists further investors (Friend, Jirfine Intelligent Equipment) and says three funding rounds have closed since early 2025.
S
Sources
Retrieved 2026-11-08.
- 杭州柯林 关于收购上海开普勒机器人有限公司股权的进展暨完成工商变更登记的公告 (2026-018) — China Securities Journal (disclosure page)
- 不超过3亿元增持41.57%股权 杭州柯林拿下开普勒机器人控制权 — Xinhua / Shanghai Securities News
- 杭州柯林拟3亿元控股开普勒机器人 — Cailian Press
- 储能“熄火”，钙钛矿“吞金”，杭州柯林3亿豪赌亏损机器人标的 — TMTPost via Sina Finance
- A-Share Company Controls Kepler, Is Humanoid Robot M&A "Opening"? — Gasgoo
- Seeds | Kepler Robot Secures Tens of Millions in New Funding — Gasgoo
- Seeds | Strategic Investment by A-Share Listed Company! Kepler Robot Secures Over 100 Million Yuan Financing — Gasgoo
- Kepler Robotics showcases K2 'Bumblebee' humanoid at ICRA 2025 — The Robot Report
- Kepler begins mass production of hybrid-architecture humanoid robot — Robotics & Automation News
- Kepler Robotics Announces Mass Production of Humanoid Robot K2 — Rocking Robots
- Kepler Forerunner humanoid robot may be heading for a workplace near you — New Atlas
- Kepler's K2 humanoid robot begins industrial testing at Shanghai auto plant — Inspenet
- Innovations, investments power Zhangjiang's embodied intelligence industry — Shanghai Pudong / China Daily