Models
1
Overview
Chinese humanoid robotics company (Shanghai Kepler Exploration Robotics) developing the Forerunner series humanoid robots. Founder inspired by Tesla's Optimus. Forerunner K2 features planetary roller screw actuators for industrial work.
Reality check
Mass production claim
Claims will soon be able to mass produce humanoid robots
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
Founder
HQ
Founded
Product
Actuation
Testing
Incidents
Data & sources
Press releases
1
News coverage
1
Web sources
2
4 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Kepler Robotics on the deployment map
Where Kepler Robotics's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Liu Yao Co-Founder, CEOsince 2022-01-01secondary-verified
Founders (1)
- Liu Yaocofounderfounded 2022-01-01
Safety record
No incidents on record for Kepler Robotics.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Kepler Robotics in third-party press
Peer companies
- Unitree Robotics9 models
- AgiBot5 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- UBTech Robotics5 models
- 1X Technologies4 models
- Fourier Intelligence4 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (2)
- Series B2024-03-01
$100M(reported)
Investors: GL Ventures (Hillhouse Ventures) (lead), Qiming Venture Partners, Matrix Partners China
- Series Pre-A2023-06-01
Investors: Qiming Venture Partners, Matrix Partners China
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 5, 2026
Kepler Forerunner K2 humanoid
- Record createdJun 3, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedSep 1, 2025
K2 Bumblebee at Shanghai, China
Sources (4)
- https://www.therobotreport.com/kepler-robotics-showcases-k2-bumblebee-icra-2025/
- https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-kepler-humanoid-robot-shanghai-plant
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-first-commercially-available-hybrid-architecture-humanoid-robot-moves-into-mass-production-kepler-marks-the-start-of-a-new-industrial-era-302568138.html
- https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/kepler-debuts-k2-humanoid-robot
Common questions
- What is Kepler Robotics?
- Chinese humanoid robotics company (Shanghai Kepler Exploration Robotics) developing the Forerunner series humanoid robots. Founder inspired by Tesla's Optimus. Forerunner K2 features planetary roller screw actuators for industrial work.
- What does Kepler Robotics make?
- Kepler Robotics has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: K2 Bumblebee (Kepler Robotics builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Is Kepler Robotics publicly traded?
- No. Kepler Robotics is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with Kepler Robotics?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Kepler Robotics building in the same form factors include Unitree Robotics, AgiBot, Boston Dynamics, UBTech Robotics.
- Who is the CEO of Kepler Robotics?
- Liu Yao is the ceo of Kepler Robotics, per the DEPLOY registry.
- How can I invest in Kepler Robotics?
- Kepler Robotics is a private company; its shares are not available on public markets, so retail investors cannot buy the stock today.
- Where is Kepler Robotics headquartered?
- Kepler Robotics is headquartered in Shanghai, China.
- Who owns Kepler Robotics?
- Kepler Robotics is privately held; ownership sits with its founders and private investors.
- Where does Kepler Robotics operate robots?
- Kepler Robotics is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is Kepler Robotics a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Kepler Robotics ranks in roughly the top 56% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was Kepler Robotics founded?
- Kepler Robotics was founded in 2023.
- Is Kepler Robotics safe?
- Kepler Robotics has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-18
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-18
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- secondary-trade-publication
- Trade publication
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Kepler Robotics.Peer companies
- Unitree Robotics9 models
- AgiBot5 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- UBTech Robotics5 models
- 1X Technologies4 models
- Fourier Intelligence4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Kepler Robotics from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/kepler.md
- RSS feed: /companies/kepler/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/63df6632-c8a1-4a49-ba31-5c46755c1e23
- Revision history: /companies/kepler/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Unitree Robotics9 models
- AgiBot5 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- UBTech Robotics5 models
- 1X Technologies4 models
- Fourier Intelligence4 models
Video
FRC team Orbit 1690 from Binyamina, Israel, presents its 2026 robot for the game REBUILT! Huge thanks to all of our sponsors mentors and parents for helping us
Kepler Exploration Robot recently unveiled its latest innovation, the Kepler Forerunner series of general-purpose humanoid robots. This advanced humanoid stands
Kepler’s humanoid robot makes its debut at SAIC-GM, kicking off real-world scenario testing across industrial applications. From precision task execution to int
The Kepler robot is equipped with self-developed planetary roller screw actuators that use dual encoders and force sensors to achieve precise and smooth control
Unmatched precision and dexterity—just like a human hand! 🔹 11 Degrees of Freedom per Hand 🔹 25 High-Resolution Force Sensing Touchpoints per Finger 🔹 Effort
Discover KEPLER K2 Bumblebee — a next-gen humanoid robot with embodied AI, 8-hour runtime: https://www.gotokepler.com/home China’s WAIC 2025 just unveiled th
Kepler Robotics has commenced mass production of the K2 Bumblebee, the world’s first commercially available humanoid robot powered by Tesla’s hybrid architectur
In this video, I review general-purpose robots designed to handle a wide range of tasks. We take a close look at current humanoid robots, what they can actually
The Kepler humanoid robot made its debut at CES 2024, attracting a huge crowd on the spot! It's a great honor to have the visit of Satya Nadella, the Chairman a
Kepler K2 Bumblebee – a big milestone for low-cost humanoid robots. Kepler K2 Bumblebee – a big milestone for low-cost humanoid robots. The impressive thing is
Reality vs attention
Kepler Robotics draws attention at the 19th percentile but verifies reality at the 44th percentile among humanoids. Hype Gap -25.2, 32nd widest among humanoids.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 1 verified deployment. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 19, 2026