36 Krypton First Release｜Plans to push exoskeleton robots to the C-end, 'Maibao Intelligence” received tens of millions of yuan in Series A financing

Author｜Li Wenli

Editor｜Shi Yaqiong

The wave of digital intelligence in the field of industrial manufacturing is intensifying. The development route represented by the innovation of production tools reveals the important needs of industrial manufacturing in terms of cost reduction, efficiency increase, and labor cost saving. The field of domestic automation and intelligent software and hardware equipment has entered the fast lane of development, and exoskeleton robots, as industrial black technology, have also ushered in a historic window of opportunity. A report released by research organization The Insight Partners in January 2023 stated that the global exoskeleton robotic system market size will be US$1 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach US$4.22 billion by 2028.

Although relevant clips from the movie "The Wandering Earth" have triggered heated discussions about exoskeleton robots among the public, in fact, the current fields of industry, logistics and transportation, rehabilitation medicine and other fields have begun to use exoskeleton robots and related equipment on a large scale. Investment and financing events in the exoskeleton robot industry have also seen significant growth.

Recently, 36 Krypton learned that Maibao Intelligent Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Maibao Intelligence") has successfully obtained tens of millions of yuan in Series A financing. It is reported that the investors in the company’s latest round of financing are mainly composed of Shenqi Haohui Fund, Suzhou High-speed Railway Xincheng Fund and well-known industry investors. Maibao Intelligence said that the financing will be used to expand product lines, reduce costs, explore consumer application models, and expand business scope.

Maibao Intelligence is a company that 36 Krypton has been tracking for a long time. It was founded by a team of PhDs led by Wei Wei and Lin Xichuan. It is one of the earliest companies in China that focuses on the development of exoskeleton robots. The main business is to provide a wearable exoskeleton assistance device and intelligent solutions.

Exoskeleton robot is a wearable device whose main purpose is to provide users with protection and enhancement capabilities. People can enhance body functions, limb movement and weight-bearing capabilities by wearing exoskeleton devices. In the 1960s, the wearable individual equipment "Hardiman 1" developed by General Electric in the United States is considered to be the origin of exoskeleton robots.

Exoskeleton robot is a wearable device whose main purpose is to provide users with protection and enhancement capabilities. People can enhance body functions, limb movement and weight-bearing capabilities by wearing exoskeleton devices. In the 1960s, the wearable individual equipment "Hardiman 1" developed by General Electric in the United States is considered to be the origin of exoskeleton robots.

In terms of power structure, exoskeleton robots can be divided into two categories: active and passive. The former's power drive is mainly electric drive and pneumatic drive, with stronger load capacity and outstanding endurance, while the latter is mainly powered by springs and has no continuous power support. In response to the demand characteristics of different segmented scenarios, Maibao Intelligence has formed a product line of exoskeleton equipment with passive and active interoperability covering the upper limbs, waist, and lower limbs. The load-bearing capacity of its exoskeleton robot has reached 15kg to 75kg.

Generally speaking, exoskeleton robots are composed of four core components: sensing system, control system, drive system, and mechanical system. What is more special is that the control system and drive system are the core of the operation of exoskeleton robots, and are also related companies Focus on technical directions. Different from the power control structure of the "motor reducer driver" of traditional exoskeleton robots, Maibao Intelligent independently developed a "driveable human-machine coupling joint with integrated sensing function". This joint integrates sensors and drivers internally, and is smaller in size and mass. , has a strong response speed and meets the power output requirements of human joint movement.

Cheng Lidan, a founding member of Maibao Intelligence, said: "The difference between exoskeleton robots and other robots is that their operation requires strong human-computer interaction, which requires the machine to be lightweight enough, have better interaction capabilities, and be able to quickly Respond to human movements and provide sufficient output power density. It is reported that the output power density of the human-machine coupling joint independently developed by Maibao Intelligence has reached 150 N·m per kilogram, ranking first in the industry.

Like the mainstream exoskeleton robot application model, Maibao Intelligent adopts the Internet of Things artificial intelligence model to tune the algorithm level of the exoskeleton robot. Through extensive learning of big data machine models, the exoskeleton robot can be customized according to the user's needs. Movement habits and posture characteristics are targeted and matched to achieve in-depth customization. In addition, the company also collects links to the usage habits and equipment status of people suitable for exoskeletons through the cloud computing platform of "Exoskeleton Cloud Brain" to achieve all-weather three-dimensional information links between users and the company. After years of application integration with end market customers, Maibao Intelligence has accumulated a large amount of user data in different application scenarios, achieved continuous optimization of exoskeleton control algorithms through data support, and launched a more adaptable motion control algorithm.

Maibao Intelligence has been involved in many fields such as industrial logistics, automobile assembly, housekeeping services, emergency rescue and military individual equipment. Industrial logistics is the earliest vertical application field that Maibao Intelligence has entered. As early as 2017, the founding team launched an industry-university-research cooperation to support exoskeleton robots based on the problems of strain and loss of warehouse workers faced by a well-known domestic retail logistics company, and accumulated a lot of experience. Deep R&D foundation. At present, Maibao Intelligence has provided exoskeleton robot products and solutions to customers in different industries such as large bulk cargo ports, automobile logistics and warehousing logistics companies. In addition, Maibao Intelligent also applies its products to the field of housekeeping services, providing efficient and intelligent moving equipment support for 58 Home's moving services.

Scenario shows

Special fields are the focus of Maibao Intelligence. The company's exoskeleton robots have been invited to participate in combat training and support operations many times to help improve the efficiency of individual soldiers. Maibao Intelligent has also reached cooperation with a number of local fire rescue units to provide exoskeleton robot equipment to assist fire teams in field rescue and field operation training.

Maibao Intelligence told 36Kr that currently the company’s main customers are concentrated on the B-end and G-end. Next, the company hopes to push exoskeleton robot products to the C-end market. Cheng Lidan mentioned: “Our current strategy is to simultaneously enter the consumer side. In the early stage, we hope to make exoskeleton equipment needed for outdoor sports and adventure enthusiasts in mountain climbing scenarios, and launch product implementation and commercialization with well-known domestic tourism groups. cooperate."

In terms of revenue, even during the epidemic, Maibao Intelligence's overall revenue has doubled in 2022. Cheng Lidan said that the company’s mountaineering and outdoor series of smart products will be launched on the market in August this year.

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