Summary

Recently, Wuxi Crabnova Intelligent Drive Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Crabnova Intelligent) has secured a new round of financing exceeding 100 million RMB. The round was led by Huatai Zijin, with participation from Johnson Electric, Ninebot Capital and Zibianliang Robotics. Existing investors ECOVACS and Southern Venture Capital made follow-on investments.

The investor roster includes professional financial institutions and industrial capital, signifying strong recognition of Crabnova’s growth. Notably, industrial partners have moved from customer collaboration to equity investment, which validates Crabnova’s proven products and industrial acceptance.

Following this financing, focusing on robotic integrated joints, Crabnova Intelligent will continue independent R&D of core components, collaborative design of joint modules and automated manufacturing, translating R&D strengths into product capabilities balancing performance, cost and high-volume delivery.

PART 01

Full-Stack In-House R&D of Seven Core Technologies

Unlocking Combined Advantages in Performance and Cost at the Fundamental Level

As the robotics industry shifts progressively from technical validation to mass production, integrated joints have become critical determinants of robot performance, cost and reliability, imposing stricter requirements on component matching and system design.

Crabnova Intelligent has extended its R&D down to underlying technologies centered on robotic joints. It has built a technology portfolio covering reducers, motors, bearings, encoders, drives, force sensors and brakes, with continuous independent development of these critical components. Iterations are ongoing on harmonic reducers, frameless motors, bearing structures, high integration and control algorithms, forming a complete technical loop spanning core components, joint modules, control algorithms and manufacturing processes. Based on this foundation, the company carries out systematic collaborative design across materials, structures, processes and control, aligning core-component development with overall joint module requirements.

This R&D approach enables the company to holistically optimize joint performance, size, weight and cost at the system level and develop customized solutions for OEM customers.

For its new-generation joint modules, Crabnova Intelligent further advances miniaturization and lightweight design. Meanwhile, co-development of core components and control systems accelerates product iteration and customer adaptation.

PART 02

From Full-Link In-House R&D to Mass Production — Crabnova Intelligent Emerges as a Joint Industry Leader

As robotics enters the mass-production era, competition among core component suppliers is no longer limited to isolated specifications. It has evolved into an integrated contest of high performance, low cost, reliability and high-volume delivery capacity.

At the World Robot Conference this August, Crabnova Intelligent launched the Lite joint series. The R48-Lite, R58-Lite and R68-Lite models all hit the hundred-yuan price bracket. Importantly, this offering is not simply trading margin for volume. While prices are lowered, the modules feature more compact structures and improved key metrics including torque density. Performance gains alongside cost reduction deliver highly competitive options for robot OEM selection and mass deployment.

On the manufacturing side, the company’s fully automated production lines are operational with a cycle time (CT) of 30 seconds. Automation and standardization are being rolled out for key assembly, testing and quality control workflows.

Per capacity plans, the company targets an output of 200,000 joint modules in 2026, scaling to 1,000,000 units in 2027 and 2,000,000 units in 2028.

Leveraging independent core-component R&D and synergy between joint design and manufacturing, Crabnova is moving from product validation to scaled delivery, supporting output expansion, cost control, consistent quality and efficient order fulfillment.

PART 03

Crabnova’s Value Validated by Leading Domestic Embodied Intelligence Enterprises

Crabnova Intelligent has been admitted into the supply chains of leading domestic and global players in embodied intelligence, medical devices, semiconductors and industrial automation, with stable batch shipments.

Ongoing customer partnerships feed robot OEM requirements back into core-component R&D, joint module design and product iteration. This also demonstrates that the company’s technical competence, product maturity and mass delivery capability are recognized by top robotics industry players.

Comments on the Financing Round

Huatai Zijin stated:

“As robotics enters large-scale mass production, industry competition is shifting from isolated technical breakthroughs to systemic capability competition. Crabnova Intelligent has built a well-rounded capability loop covering independent core-component R&D, integrated joints, cost control and large-scale manufacturing, validated by multiple leading industrial customers. We are optimistic about the company’s long-term growth potential in core motion components for robots.”

Johnson Electric commented:

“Crabnova Intelligent boasts deep technical expertise and industrialization foundation in harmonic reducers and robotic core motion components. As an investor in this round, Johnson Electric highly recognizes Crabnova’s strategic direction. We look forward to collaborating with industry partners to drive innovation and large-scale adoption across the robotics sector.”

At this stage where embodied intelligence transitions from technical verification to mass manufacturing, the competitive focus for joint suppliers is shifting. Rather than chasing single performance parameters, the ability to deliver high performance, low cost, consistent quality and stable large-volume supply has become the primary battleground in the joint sector.

With the financing closed, Crabnova Intelligent will build on its established strengths in independent core technology R&D, product cost reduction and high-volume manufacturing, continue to advance the joint industry and create greater value for the robotics ecosystem.