Chinese tech firms strike deal to pursue embodied intelligence

OYMotion, a Shanghai-based robotics and neural interface technology company, and Radical, an automotive bearing manufacturer headquartered in Hangzhou, have announced a strategic partnership focused on embodied intelligence development.

The alliance, announced in Shanghai on Saturday, aims to combine OYMotion's advancements in robotics with Radical's manufacturing expertise to capitalize on the growing embodied intelligence market.

The two companies intend to create a fully integrated industry chain, ranging from core components to finished products.

"The cooperation between the two sides is a perfect fit between industrial resources and technological advantages," said Shen Renrong, chairman of Radical.

The partnership includes a strategic investment of 160 million yuan ($22.83 million) and the creation of a 100 million yuan joint venture, with both companies working to address the opportunities presented by the expanding embodied intelligence market.

OYMotion, established in 2015, launched a domestically-produced intelligent bionic hand in 2017. The company collaborated with Professor Xu Jianguang's team at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2022 to develop neurorehabilitation products, and released a robot dexterous hand in 2024. OYMotion also completed three rounds of financing this year, raising hundreds of millions of yuan.

Ni Hualiang, founder and chairman of OYMotion, said the company's recent growth and its position as one of the front-runners in dexterous hand technology are a result of its innovative spirit.

Saturday's announcement was made at a summit that featured panel discussions on embodied intelligence and neural interfaces.

Industry experts discussed the future of the embodied intelligence market and the importance of breakthroughs in core technologies and collaboration across the industrial ecosystem.

Luo Bin contributed to this story.