China’s consumer robotics start-ups are finding new growth opportunities in overseas markets, providing a new development model for the country’s manufacturers as they attempt to escape problems wrought by excess capacity and destructive price wars at home.
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These up-and-coming robotics firms are leveraging mature supply chains and rapid product iteration cycles to compete on technology and speed, industry insiders and analysts said, quickly turning tech innovation into market presence and pricing power.
One firm has garnered a great deal of attention with its series of hybrid snow-blowing, lawn-mowing robots, engineered to withstand extreme cold and heavy blizzards while clearing household gardens and driveways.
Yarbo, the devices’ Shenzhen-based manufacturer, has stood out for servicing the delivery of a complex consumer-grade product at scale.
In just two years, the company has raised US$3.45 million on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter – a record for consumer robots – and delivered its first 1,000 units, executives from the firm told the Post.
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Custom low-temperature batteries, adaptive blades and eight rapid product iterations – including self-heating batteries and wireless charging – have helped the firm secure more than 6,000 presale orders last year, at prices ranging from US$4,000 to US$7,000.