From SMIC and iFlytek to classified military programs, Deng Zhuoming had already racked up considerable experience in subaquatic technology before entering the pool robot business. Despite tepid market interest at the time, he founded Seauto in 2021 and released several products within six months to test the waters.
Today, Seauto sells underwater cleaning robots priced under USD 400, and has reportedly generated more than USD 100 million in global revenue. With a per-unit cost below USD 100, the company’s cost control is striking.
Targeting Western households
Chinese hardware startups are now eyeing niche segments like pool cleaning, following waves of activity in air purification, lawn care, and snow removal. According to QYResearch, global robotic pool cleaner sales hit USD 1.018 billion in 2024 and are projected to grow to USD 1.731 billion by 2031.
Though the category has been around for over 40 years, few companies specialize in it. Legacy players like Dolphin, Polaris, BWT, and Hayward have long dominated. Lately, Chinese firms such as Xingmai Innovation, InLink Group, and Wybotics have entered the fray, many buoyed by deep-pocketed backers.
Founded in October 2021 and based in Shenzhen, Seauto took a different path from most Chinese hardware companies. Its focus is firmly on North America and Europe, where it sells pool robots for USD 199–399, which is substantially cheaper than many international brands. In 2024, Seauto crossed RMB 100 million (USD 14 million) in revenue, and ranked fourth in its category on Amazon.
By the first quarter of 2025, the company had already shipped more units than in all of 2024. Sales reached over RMB 50 million (USD 7 million), and Seauto became profitable.
“At the moment, our cost per unit is under USD 90. Even if we lowered prices, we’d still have room to make money,” Deng told 36Kr.
In 2023, Maytronics, the maker of market-leading Dolphin robots, partnered with Seauto to co-launch a brand called Niya. Seauto supplies it with motors, sensors, and other core components.
A deep tech founder in a commodity business
Deng didn’t follow the same route as peers who moved from robotic vacuums to pool bots. His background was rooted in underwater systems.
After university, he worked on chip design at SMIC and MediaTek, and later joined iFlytek’s robotics division. In 2016, he pivoted to unmanned vessels and military-grade underwater detection systems. He also helped develop China’s early electric buoys.
“Issues like waterproofing and battery sealing, we’ve encountered those before,” Deng said.
By 2019, Deng had turned his attention to consumer goods. Pool robots, though low-profile, offered untapped potential, especially in markets like the US, where high labor costs made automation more appealing. The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance estimates there are 10.7 million pools in the US alone.
Deng entered a startup pitch competition that year, but was turned away. Investors cited the uninspiring category and lack of Amazon sales data. Determined, he rented a 70-square-meter office in Bao’an, Shenzhen and assembled a small engineering team.
The early going wasn’t easy. Motors had to be energy-efficient to prolong battery life. Seauto spent two years refining its motor system, extending gear lifespan from 500 to 2,000 hours and minimizing internal friction.
“There are tons of motor manufacturers in China,” he said, “but none willing to dig into the details such as gear design, optimal lubrication, cost-performance tradeoffs. It was all too customized for them.”
Seauto took the work in-house. The team developed its own brushless DC motors, gearboxes, and sensors. To keep production lean, Seauto used locally sourced parts and designed for automation. Labor needs were minimized, and per-unit costs dropped to USD 80–90.
As a result, Seauto offers wall-climbing, brushless motor robots under USD 400, a price point where international peers can cost up to four figures.
Its robots focus on essentials: removing sediment, leaves, and dirt from pools sized 18–80 square meters. Despite compact dimensions, Seauto’s units have larger debris tanks than many rivals.
The SAT10 model is priced at USD 229, while the SAT20 goes for USD 399. Both are available on Amazon, Temu, and eBay. “Every unit we produce gets sold,” Deng said. Return rates sit at just 2–3%, well below the industry norm.
Cost efficiency over branding
Deng doesn’t speak with polish or flair. His comments are often plainspoken to the point of bluntness.
“For what these machines can do today, they should cost USD 300–400,” he said. “That’s already the cap. Anything higher is just an ‘IQ tax,’ unless the cleaning function actually gets significantly better.”
He avoids marketing altogether and is skeptical of peers who burn cash to gain attention. While other startups may swell to 200 or 300 employees, Seauto runs lean with just over 40. Its office is sparse, filled with half-empty workstations, minimal decoration, and no signs of branding.
Most of the company’s money is funneled into engineering. “Underwater environments are simple. There aren’t that many viable technical paths,” Deng said.
A pool technician typically uses a cabled device to vacuum debris and scrub the pool. It’s nothing especially complex, but automating that task means solving for underwater navigation and signal interference.
“Water doesn’t have distinct visual features,” Deng said. “If you use inertial navigation with a camera, the system breaks down the moment it hits an obstacle.” The answer, he added, is sound.
Seauto built its own USBL (ultrashort baseline) acoustic positioning system, adapted from tech used in submarine guidance, offshore oil exploration, and salvage operations. Where commercial USBL systems can cost tens of thousands of RMB, Seauto’s version costs under RMB 100 (USD 14) per unit.
The system handles real-time positioning underwater. US household pools typically range from 18–80 square meters in size, and sonar interference varies by pool shape and wall material. In smaller pools, reflected signals can confuse positioning. Seauto’s robots can automatically adjust for these conditions, tuning signal gain and reception levels on the fly.
Besides its D2C business, Seauto also supplies Maytronics. The firm first approached Deng in late 2023, attracted by Seauto’s cost advantages. So far, that partnership has already yielded over 100,000 units.
Now, demand is outpacing capacity. “We’re in overbooked mode. New customers reach out, and I can’t serve them. I’m just trying to meet orders from our existing clients,” Deng said, scrolling through messages full of urgent requests.
It’s the kind of headache most founders would envy. But Deng isn’t easing up.
“We’re going to produce as much as possible—and lower prices again,” he said. “Wherever the competitors are, we’ll follow. We want to make this market a little more intense.”
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Hu Yiting for 36Kr.