Partner Robotics, a construction robotics startup founded in 2023 by Wang Kecheng, the former CEO of Bright Dream Robotics, has recently secured tens of millions of yuan in a Series A funding round led by Huachuang Capital, with participation from existing investors Tongchuang Weiye and Redpoint Ventures. Index Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor for the deal. Including an earlier angel round completed at the end of 2024, the company has raised close to 100 million yuan cumulatively. The new capital will be directed towards accelerating research and development of core technologies for embodied intelligence robotics tailored to construction scenarios, market expansion both domestically and internationally, and strengthening the supply chain to ensure product quality and delivery speed.

The construction industry, known for its dangerous, complex, dirty, and heavy work conditions, presents a substantial opportunity for robotics solutions that integrate embodied intelligence. With the global construction sector facing severe labour shortages and rising labour costs, combined with the falling prices of key robot components, construction robots are transitioning rapidly from experimental phases to active site deployment. Partner Robotics currently focuses on niche markets within the construction lifecycle, notably developing a floor tile laying robot and an intelligent line marking robot, intending to expand their product portfolio over time based on high value and feasibility principles.

The floor tile laying robot addresses an enormous global demand: over 10 billion square meters of tiles are consumed annually worldwide. Traditional manual tile laying suffers from inefficiency, inconsistent quality, and significant labour intensity. Partner Robotics' robot ensures stable laying quality with a low hollowing rate by controlling placement technology and parameters, boosting construction efficiency by 5 to 6 times compared to manual labour. For example, in the US, where tile layers’ daily labour costs reach several hundred dollars, the robot’s investment can pay for itself within approximately six months through labour savings.

Similarly, the intelligent line marking robot enhances productivity by performing highly accurate automatic line marking tasks with ±2 mm precision and full coverage, achieving construction efficiency gains of 4 to 6 times over manual methods. The robot’s versatility spans key construction phases, structural, finishing, and decoration stages, making it fundamental to ensuring construction quality and accuracy.

Technologically, Partner Robotics has developed proprietary multi-sensor fusion environmental perception technologies and a virtual simulation training cloud platform that continuously improve robot capabilities through large-scale data collection from real construction settings. Their robots integrate industry-leading features such as unified vision and movement control models adapted for construction, high-load collaborative robotic arms, and high-precision optical measurement sensors.

Since mid-2025, the company has begun penetrating overseas markets including Europe, North America, and the Middle East, alongside sales in Greater China and Southeast Asia. Orders exceeding 10 million yuan have been received, with actual floor tile laying area completed internationally reaching nearly 100,000 square meters. Partner Robotics adapts to regional technical requirements and construction standards, such as variable ground accuracy, material bonding properties, and tile sizes, through advanced visual AI capabilities offering compatibility across diverse tile types and patterns.

The company has also established agent networks internationally to provide effective pre-sale and after-sale service, critical for client confidence and market growth. A notable application involved Singapore’s 60th National Day celebration in 2025, where Partner Robotics’ line marking robot autonomously completed a complex, large-scale pattern over 100 meters long in five hours, significantly faster than the manual estimate of several days. The robot demonstrated resilience in challenging environmental conditions like rain and humidity and earned high commendations from the project team.

Wang highlighted a paradigm shift in the construction robotics industry from laboratory demos to widespread, practical on-site use. Improved usability allows construction workers to operate robots independently without prolonged manufacturer assistance, reflecting growing market alignment with product capabilities. He emphasised the critical need for synchronising technology innovation, market demands, and capital support to drive genuine adoption and commercial penetration of construction robots.

Huachuang Capital’s partner Chen Huan noted that intelligent upgrades in construction are inexorable. They view Partner Robotics’ combination of technological depth, commercial execution, and experienced leadership, Wang having overseen thousands of robot deployments previously, as well positioned to transform embodied intelligence into scalable productivity gains across the construction sector, spearheading the fusion of AI with construction processes.

This development aligns with broader industry trends where automation in construction tasks, especially in labour-intensive and precision-critical areas like tile laying and line marking, is gaining traction globally. Other players in the sector, such as DMX Robotics and Legend Robot, have also introduced tile laying robots achieving high precision and improved efficiency. DMX Robotics’ solution, for instance, reduces manpower reliance and ensures consistent joint alignment using pre-applied adhesives, targeting large-scale builds that demand uniform finishes. Legend Robot similarly offers robots capable of laying between 80 to 120 tiles daily with exceptional grout joint accuracy, meeting stringent construction standards.

The surge in funding for robotics companies, documented in industry reports, underscores the escalating investor confidence in construction automation solutions as labour shortages and cost pressures mount worldwide. Partner Robotics exemplifies this wave by leveraging innovative embodied intelligence to tackle specific pain points in global construction markets and advancing towards wider commercialisation.

📌 Reference Map:

  • [1] (36Kr) - Paragraphs 1-9, 11-15
  • [2] (DMX Robotics) - Paragraph 10
  • [4] (Legend Robot) - Paragraph 10
  • [7] (The Robot Report) - Paragraph 11

Source: Noah Wire Services