Chinese firm Pudu Robotics is working with Japan’s SoftBank Robotics to attack the commercial service robotics industry.

The aim is to combine SoftBank’s expertise in the Japanese market with Pudu’s product and technology for delivery and cleaning robots.

Pudu Robotics is expanding its global presence while maintaining a stronghold in the Chinese market. Known for its popular BellaBot cat-shaped robot in Japan, Pudu has captured a significant market share for catering service robots. Its product line empowers businesses across various sectors to harness the potential of robotics to elevate service quality, customer experience and cost-efficiency for business operators.

“We are honoured to hold hands with SoftBank Robotics,” said Felix Zhang, CEO of Pudu Robotics. “This collaboration is a recognition of the unique value that Pudu brings to the table. We’ll continue to deliver reliable products and outstanding services with our strong full-stack capabilities to all our partners and customers, as we have consistently done.”

Fumihide Tomizawa, CEO of SoftBank Robotics, added: “We are excited about our partnership with Pudu Robotics as it allows us to enhance our offering in the field of commercial service robots in Japan. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to delivering advanced robotic technologies, while also helping businesses address workforce challenges and improve overall efficiency.”

Pudu Robotics (www.pudurobotics.com) has shipped nearly 70,000 units in over 60 countries worldwide. The company’s robots are in use across a wide variety of industries including restaurants, retail, hospitality, healthcare, entertainment and manufacturing. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China, its mission is to use robots to improve the efficiency of human production and living.

SoftBank Robotics (www.softbankrobotics.com) launched Pepper, its first robot capable of recognising human emotions, in 2014. There followed an AI autonomous cleaning robot in 2018, a multi-tray delivery robot in 2021, and automated logistics consulting in 2022. It has offices at 12 locations around the world and its robots are used in more than 70 countries worldwide.