Star Motion Era: A Tsinghua University-Incubated ”All-Around Champion” in Embodied Intelligence Is Redefining the Final Battle in the Robotics Industry

On July 6, Beijing Xingdong Jiyuan Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of a new round of financing worth 1 billion yuanfinancing...led by Chengtong Fund, which is under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the State Council, with several local state-owned capital entities participating as co-investors. This marks the largest single investment by state-owned capital in the embodied intelligence sector this year. When robotics companies begin to secure funding from state-owned capital, it signals that the industry has officially moved from ”telling stories” to ”getting things done.” This article will provide a comprehensive analysis of this Tsinghua-affiliated company, which has achieved a valuation of over 10 billion yuan in less than three years.

Growth: From the lab to a valuation of 10 billion in just three years—a pace that could be called ”light-speed.”

Beijing Robot Era Technology Co., Ltd. (Robot Era) was founded on August 4, 2023, and is headquartered in Zhongguancun, Haidian District, Beijing. It is‌The only humanoid robotics company incubated by Tsinghua University’s Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences in which Tsinghua University holds a stake‌. In less than three years, the company has completed multiple rounds of funding, raising a total of nearly 2 billion yuan, with a valuation exceeding 10 billion yuan, making it the undisputed leader in China’s embodied intelligence sector.

‌The pace of fundraising is staggering.‌:

It is worth noting that this 1 billion yuan funding round on July 6, 2026, was led by‌Led by Chengtong Fund, a state-owned capital operation company under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council‌, with major state-owned entities such as Jiangxi State-owned Capital Holding, Guoyuan Equity, Yufu-China-Singapore Fund, and Hangzhou Capital all participating. This marks the official and in-depth entry of industrial capital and state-owned capital into the sector—the investment paradigm in the robotics industry has shifted completely from ”who can tell the best story” to ”who can get the job done.”

As of now, Star Motion Era‌The cumulative total order value has exceeded 500 million yuan.‌, with overseas operations accounting for approximately 50%, and its client base includes 9 of the world’s top 10 tech giants by market capitalization.

Team: Led by a Turing Award laureate, a ”hardcore team” of 80% R&D engineers”

Founder‌Chen Jianyu‌, born in 1992, earned his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Precision Instruments at Tsinghua University and received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2020, where he studied under Professor Masayoshi Tomizuka, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a pioneer in MPC algorithms. After completing his Ph.D., he was hired by‌Turing Award laureate Academician Andrew Yao‌He joined the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences at Tsinghua University, where he became the youngest assistant professor and doctoral advisor, and was named to Forbes China’s ”30 Under 30” list.

The team boasts an impressive lineup: its members come from‌Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, National University of Singapore‌including top universities worldwide and Fortune 500 companies. R&D personnel account for more than‌80%‌, with PhDs accounting for more than‌30%‌, covering all aspects of robot control,AI macromodel, mechanical design, and other areas across the entire value chain.

This team has published papers at top conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, CoRL, and ROS‌More than 50 high-quality papers‌, with several papers nominated for the Best Paper Award. In Chen Jianyu’s own words: ”From Day 1, we have been committed to the embodied brain and robot-centric AI Native, as well as the co-evolution of software and hardware and full-stack in-house development.”

Product Portfolio: From Dexterous Robots to Full-Scale Humanoids—Three Product Lines Thriving Across the Board

Star Motion Era has established a network covering‌Research, Industry, Services‌A complete product line for three major scenarios:

1. 🤚 Dexterous Hands Series—The World’s Leading ”Last Centimeter” Solution in Terms of Shipments”

▲Xingdong XHAND 1 (Image source:Star Trek (US TV and film series))

Among them, XHAND 1 is‌The World's First Direct-Drive Agile Manipulator‌, and has been adopted by Stanford University, Tsinghua University, Skild AI in the U.S., and Rainbow Robotics in South Korea, among others. By 2025, nearly 1,000 units will be shipped, with overseas sales accounting for 50%. In screw-tightening tasks, the success rate remains as high as 92% even when data completeness is only 60%.

2. 🤖 Humanoid Robot Series — A Double Breakthrough in ”Powerful Movement + Precise Control”

▲Xingdong L7 (Image source:Star Trek (US TV and film series))

‌Highlights‌: In August 2025, the Xingdong L7 achieved a time of‌ in the track and field events at the World Humanoid Robot Games,He won the championship with a standing high jump of 95.641 centimeters‌, and set a world record in the long jump. This is the first bipedal humanoid robot in China to achieve both ”high-intensity movement” and “precise control.”

3. 🔧 Core Components—In-house Development of 95% Hardware

The integrated joint modules (models 15017 and 10520) feature a highly integrated design that combines a frameless torque motor, a precision planetary gearbox, a high-precision encoder, and a driver. From individual components to the complete unit, the proportion of hardware developed in-house exceeds‌95%‌.

Core Technology: ERA-42—One of the World’s Four Major Embodied Brains

Stardom Era’s technological moat lies in its independently developed‌ERA-42: An End-to-End Native Robot Large Model‌.

Core Competencies:

• ‌The only one in the world; the only one in China‌An embodied brain capable of simultaneously achieving ”full-scale humanoid form + precise control via dexterous five-fingered hands” (the other three are Figure Helix, Tesla’s Grok, and NVIDIA’s GR00T)
• By integrating vision, understanding, prediction, and action, a single VLA model controls dexterous movements of the entire body, enabling it to perform‌Over 100 complex and dexterity-based tasks‌
• It has been integrated into the world model and possesses the ability to understand the physical world and predict the future

Technology Roadmap:

At the 2025 CoRL conference, several papers based on the Star Motion Era Dexterous Hand were nominated for Best Paper awards, with authors from Stanford, CMU, Columbia University, JPMorgan Chase, and other institutions.

Data Flywheel:

Star Motion Era has established a closed-loop technology system comprising ”full-body teleoperation—data acquisition—model iteration,” which it developed independently‌KineDex Framework‌, using a ”step-by-step teaching” approach, data acquisition speed has increased significantly compared to traditional remote operation. Currently, it is‌One of the companies with the most world model achievements‌, and also‌The company with the most data on dexterous hands‌.

Commercialization: From ”Showpieces” to ”Industrial Products”—Orders Speak Volumes

Star Motion Era has taken the lead in completing the following in the embodied intelligence industry:‌PMF (Product-Market Fit)‌:

• ‌Logistics Scenarios‌: In partnership with China Post and SF Express Group, the company has established more than 10 logistics centers, completing its deployment across five major cities: Shenzhen, Huzhou, Hangzhou, Hefei, and Beijing. In May 2026, CCTV’s *City Splendor* featured the company’s robotic sorters developed in collaboration with China Post. In some harsh environments—such as high temperatures and humidity—their performance approaches that of humans, and in certain areas, they have achieved‌24-hour continuous operation‌. Q2 2026 has begun‌Batch deliveries in the thousands‌, with a growth rate as high as‌300%‌. The maximum order value for a single order is close to 50 million yuan.
• ‌Manufacturing Scenarios‌: Engaged in close collaboration with Geely, Renault, Samsung, and others, working on production lines as ”parts suppliers, sorters, assemblers, and material handlers.”
• ‌Business Services‌: It has been implemented at Haier, Lenovo, Century Golden Source, the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, and other locations, providing services such as guided tours, courier delivery, and product demonstrations.
• ‌Customs Inspection‌: In partnership with SF Express, we have launched the world’s first embodied AI inspection solution for cross-border logistics, which has officially gone live at customs.

A star-studded client list:‌Geely, Renault, SF Express, TCL, Haier, Lenovo, Samsung, Century Golden Source‌, as well as 9 of the top 10 tech giants by global market capitalization. The repeat purchase rate among international customers is as high as‌6 times‌, which is rare in the industry.

Outlook: The Trillion-Yuan Embodied Intelligence Market—Where Is Star Motion Headed?

According to estimates in the *China Embodied Intelligence Industry Development Report (2026)*, the size of China’s embodied intelligence market is projected to grow from approximately 213.3 billion yuan in 2018 to an estimated‌1.09 trillion yuan‌, with a compound annual growth rate of 22%–23%. China has the world’s only and most comprehensive full-chain industrial support system, and its overall manufacturing costs are lower than those abroad‌30%-50%‌.

Founder Chen Jianyu’s assessment was resounding:

“Embodied intelligence remains a new field that has yet to truly establish an industrial landscape. Whether in terms of robot shipment volumes or industry maturity, it lags behind the automotive and smartphone industries by an order of magnitude. If we tackle the most challenging aspects—those with the broadest applicability—first, the possibilities for commercialization will increase.”

“This is just the beginning; the real value hasn’t even started to materialize yet. Right now, people are investing in ’potential,” and within five years, industry professionals must achieve a breakthrough.”

“The boom in embodied intelligence touches on fundamental productive forces and is characterized by durability and certainty. There may be short-term fluctuations, but in the long run, this is by no means a bubble bursting—rather, it represents steady growth.”

concluding remarks

From Tsinghua University to a valuation of 10 billion, from lab papers to deliveries in the thousands, Star Era has proven one thing in less than three years:‌When the ”brain” is smart enough, the ”body” is strong enough, and the ”dexterous hands” are precise enough—combined with the infusion of industrial capital into real-world scenarios—robots will no longer be props in science fiction movies, but rather a ”new workforce” truly capable of taking on the job.‌

Amid this massive industry shift from ”competing on storytelling” to ”competing on execution,” Star Motion Era has already taken its place at the forefront. Just as its name suggests—‌The Age of Stars—a new era for robots—may indeed have arrived.