China's Unitree robot goes to oil fields and refineries... Joint venture with state-owned oil and AI companies

Unitree (Yusukeji), a representative Chinese robotics company, is collaborating with Chinese state-run oil companies to develop artificial intelligence (AI) robots to be used in industrial sites such as oil fields and refineries.

According to the Chinese state-run English-language newspaper Global Times on the 7th, Unitree is pursuing the establishment of a joint venture to develop industrial embodied intelligence robot solutions with Kunlun Manufacturing, an energy equipment platform under China's state-run oil company China Petroleum and Natural Gas Group (CNPC), and Panje Intelligence, a Beijing-based AI company.

Embodied intelligence refers to a technology in which AI combines with physical entities such as robots to recognize and judge the surrounding environment and perform actual actions.

According to the business combination report data released by the Beijing City Market Regulation Bureau, Kunlun Manufacturing will hold 60% of the shares in the joint venture, and Unitree and Panjie Intelligence will each hold 20%.

Kunlun Manufacturing provides industrial sites and capital, Unitree is in charge of hardware technology for quadrupedal robots and humanoid robots, and Panje Intelligence is in charge of the AI ​​models that drive the robots.

In particular, Panje Intelligence supplies AI models that enable robots to make decisions in hazardous work environments.

The developed robot will be used for patrol and emergency response tasks at oil and gas production facilities, refineries, and storage and transportation facilities.

It will also be applied to gas stations and integrated charging and battery exchange energy facilities, and expansion into overseas markets will also be jointly promoted.

Kunlun Manufacturing, established in 2023 in Xiong'an New District, Hebei Province, China, is a company that supports CNPC's business from oil and gas production to refining and sales.

The Global Times reported that Kunlun Capital, under CNPC, is already included as a strategic investor in Unitree, so the establishment of this joint venture is significant in expanding the existing investment relationship into actual business cooperation.

The oil and gas industry is considered to be an area with high demand for autonomous patrol robots due to its explosive atmospheric environment, high temperature, and toxic substances.

Unitree already includes the explosion-proof quadrupedal robot 'B2-Ex' in its product line that can be used in such environments.

According to the product list on the Unitree website, the B2-Ex is equipped with a 60Ah battery and can carry up to 70kg of cargo.

It is also known to be able to climb 45-degree slopes and stairs up to 25 cm high, and has a high level of waterproof performance.

Citing experts, the Global Times evaluated that this cooperation shows a move to expand the actual field application of China's energy and robotics industries.

In particular, it was analyzed that embodied intelligence technology is moving beyond the demonstration stage at exhibition halls and moving to actual industrial sites, and that work environment, safety standards, and engineering data are becoming important factors in determining the scale of commercialization.