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… battery life, and high maintenance costs.
Apollo delivers up to five hours of operation, or four hours under a full payload of 20 kilograms. It can traverse unstructured environments such as staircases or rubble fields, bridging gaps left by wheeled or tracked systems. The robot supports over 140 kilograms when stationary and more than 40 kilograms while walking, and it remains operational in extremely low temperatures. Its modular design simplifies maintenance, reduces downtime, and aligns with industrial demands for cost efficiency and reliability.
<figure id="attachment_157785" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157785" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157785" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo.jpg" alt="Image of the Apollo quadruped robot." width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo.jpg 1920w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo-720x405.jpg 720w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo-768x432.jpg 768w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Apollo-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157785" class="wp-caption-text">Image of the Apollo quadruped robot. Image source: Mirror Me.</figcaption></figure>
Meanwhile, balancing speed and stability has long been a technical hurdle in high-mobility legged robotics. Black Panther 2.0, which broke Boston Dynamics’ longstanding record, is now being tested for use in specialized operations and emergency response.
<figure id="attachment_157786" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157786" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157786" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0.jpg" alt="Image of the Black Panther 2.0 robot." width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0.jpg 1920w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0-720x405.jpg 720w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0-768x432.jpg 768w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mirror-Me-Black-Panther-2.0-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157786" class="wp-caption-text">Image of the Black Panther 2.0 robot. Image source: Mirror Me.</figcaption></figure>
According to 36Kr, Mirror Me is also pursuing a project that aims to surpass human motion and manipulation capabilities within three years. Initial applications are planned for hazardous environments, followed by industrial and household settings.
While industrial clients face lengthy procurement cycles and strict certification requirements, the consumer market emphasizes affordability and clear functionality. Globally, most firms remain focused on lab demonstrations and pilot projects. In contrast, Chinese robotics companies have seemingly expanded their focus, targeting industrial and consumer markets simultaneously to accelerate commercialization and achieve scale.
“Speed can be achieved in months,” Wang said. “But entering factories and homes requires stable products, manageable costs, and a mature supply chain.” He added that China’s strength lies in its manufacturing ecosystem and engineering talent, but cautioned that the industry should avoid overstating short-term progress.
<h3>Investor perspective</h3>
According to Ivy Capital, the embodied intelligence industry remains in its early stages, offering significant investment potential. As in the automotive industry, robot manufacturers are expected to capture the most value, supported by China’s robust supply chain and engineering talent.
Ivy Capital cited five reasons for investing in Mirror Me:
<ol>
<li aria-level="1">A forward design methodology using proprietary differentiable simulation software to identify optimal configurations under complex constraints.</li>
<li aria-level="1">In-house development of high-performance components such as integrated joints and dexterous hands.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Continuous model training through imitation and reinforcement learning based on extensive human and animal motion data.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Automotive-grade product reliability, which has already generated a significant volume of commercial orders.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Strong academic foundations at Zhejiang University, combined with the founder’s decade of technical expertise.</li>
</ol>
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3471946984724102">article</a> was written by Huang Nan for 36Kr.

After breaking Boston Dynamics’ record, China’s Mirror Me targets new frontiers in robotics

Robotics

Deep Tech

Embodied Intelligence

China

… he added.
As the AI glasses race heats up, US and China players will eventually come head to head in the global market. How good their fundamental AI models are could be the deciding factor in who emerges on top.
Chinese players have a number of advantages on their side. The tech supply chain in their country may help domestic smart-glasses makers to beat their competitors in cost and efficiency, similar to how smartphone makers like <a href="/company/huawei">Huawei</a>, <a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a>, and <a href="/company/oppo">Oppo</a> are quickly catching up to Apple in terms of global market share.
"Chinese players benefit from a massive domestic user base and superapp ecosystems, such as WeChat and Douyin, that drive everyday use cases, along with a strong hardware supply chain and cost efficiency, giving them an edge in rapid iteration and competitive pricing," Tang said.
Meanwhile, US tech giants "have greater financial resources to invest in AI and software R&amp;D, excel in hardware-software integration, and enjoy globally recognized consumer brands," Tang added.
While <a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a> and other models in China are rapidly reaching parity with US rivals in performance, Chinese makers of AI glasses can not win over the global market "without good English language models, and that's going to be the stopping point for the Chinese OEMs (original equipment manufacturers)," said O'Donnell at Technalysis.
Guan at Rokid disagrees.
The company is planning to launch its first AI glasses in the US in November with a price tag of USD 599. This global version will be supported by both Alibaba and GPT models.
"Users can choose which AI models they want to use, it's not an issue," Guan said.
Despite the potential AI glasses hold, analysts and industry participants said wearable devices are unlikely to replace smartphones in the foreseeable future, given constraints in computing power and on-device AI processing, as well as challenges in heat dissipation and battery life, all while needing to keep the product lightweight and compact.
"Everyone wants a JARVIS, the all-mighty AI assistant to Iron Man, but there is only so much a pair of glasses can do now given how limited the space we can work with [is]," Guan said.
As Meta's botched live demo showed, it could be years before AI glasses and similar products become as mature a product as smartphones are today and adopted by the masses.
"It's getting interesting, but it's still not there yet," O'Donnell said.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/tech-asia/are-ai-glasses-the-next-smartphone-race-between-the-us-and-china">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.kr-asia.com/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

Are AI glasses the next smartphone race between the US and China?

Artificial Intelligence

Consumer Economy

… Aridge transitions from demonstration flights to commercial operations.

Xpeng AeroHT rebrands as Aridge, completes first manned eVTOL flight in Dubai

Xpeng Motors

East Asia

Transportation

Electric Vehicles

Mobility

eVTOL Aircraft

Middle East

… a challenge. Citing internal sources at Foxconn, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/foxconn-looks-to-indiaand-beyond-chinafor-iphone-assembly-11548151273">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported in 2019 that India’s roads, ports, and other facilities still lag behind China’s, and that local workers are not yet equipped to produce high-end OLED modules.
Tariff uncertainty adds further complexity. During Apple’s Q3 2025 earnings call, Cook noted that most Apple products fall under <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF13006">Section 232</a> of the “US Trade Expansion Act of 1962.” While the Trump administration has temporarily waived some tariffs, it remains unclear whether these exemptions will continue.
<h3>How will India affect Apple’s valuation?</h3>
Despite India’s growing production base, it still depends on East and Southeast Asia for critical components. Apple’s industrial footprint in India today mirrors China’s development stage around 2008.
As India’s consumer market expands, Apple’s supply chain could increasingly cluster there, creating scale and synergy benefits. Still, infrastructure and logistics gaps mean India is years away from matching China’s efficiency.
“In the near term, as long as government incentives stay in place, Apple could turn India into a fully integrated ‘second hub’ for device production, components, and exports,” Lu said.
Because India is Apple’s fastest-growing single market, local production serves not only diversification goals but also booming domestic demand. This alignment enables Apple to capture gains from India’s ongoing consumption upgrade and sustain long-term growth.
On the demand side, India today mirrors China around 2012—a market where appetite for premium electronics is rapidly growing. Apple’s ecosystem is becoming deeply embedded in this space. The iPhone has become a cultural marker for young Indian consumers, much as it was for Chinese youth a decade ago.
India’s buoyant capital markets and steady economic momentum are also shaping investor confidence. As Apple’s revenue and asset exposure in India rise, this optimism may be reflected in its valuation. India’s growth strengthens both Apple’s fundamentals and market sentiment, potentially serving as a stabilizing factor for its share price.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3501634699648129">article</a> was written by Chen Sizhu for 36Kr.

iPhone 17 launch ignites frenzy in India as Apple’s “next China” takes shape

Smartphones

India

While office tools and productivity apps feature heavily among the application formats for <a href="/industry/ai">artificial intelligence</a>, this year's Apsara Conference offered a glimpse of what alternative applications might look like. One of them, in the hardware space, is neither a smartphone nor a pair of glasses. Instead, it's a guitar.
On September 24, Quwan Technology unveiled <a href="https://www.tempolorguitar.com/">TemPolor Melo-D</a>, described as the world’s first smart guitar equipped with generative AI.
<figure id="attachment_157771" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157771" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-157771" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D.jpg" alt="Image of the TemPolor Melo-D." width="640" height="360" srcset="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D.jpg 1920w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D-720x405.jpg 720w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D-768x432.jpg 768w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/TemPolor-Melo-D-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157771" class="wp-caption-text">Image of the TemPolor Melo-D. Image and header image source: Quwan Technology.</figcaption></figure>
Unlike most smart instruments that depend on mobile apps, TemPolor is positioned as a self-contained “music generation terminal” that operates independently. It features a touch-enabled flip screen and is designed to provide a complete experience without the need for a smartphone.
Smart instruments aren’t new. Smart guitars, drumsticks, and others have emerged over the years, each with niche followings. But TemPolor’s true breakthrough is its use of generative AI to reshape both music play and music creation.
Users no longer need to practice complex chords or master music theory. By uploading a favorite song, or even just humming a melody, the installed Tianpuyue AI model can reportedly enable the device to generate a fingerstyle arrangement within minutes. The music then appears as visual notation on the guitar’s built-in screen, so any tune in your head can become playable reality.
At the launch, 36Kr tested the AI-assisted singing function. It supports humming aids, segmented practice, and automatic key matching. Traditional music lessons often feel rigid and discouraging, but TemPolor breaks the process into progressive stages: follow along, sing along, and eventually perform independently. This game-like approach reduces frustration for beginners.
For more advanced players, TemPolor offers a freestyle mode. It fully simulates the logic of a real fretboard, and it can map to six real strings, supporting single-note play without compromising professional standards.
This blend of low barriers to entry and ample room for exploratory use recalls some of the product philosophy behind Apple’s early iPhones, not hardware that piles on features, but hardware that redefines the user experience.
TemPolor’s arrival is not accidental. It reflects Quwan’s deep reading of music’s popularization trend and years of practice in the space.
Jia Shuo, who leads the TemPolor team, previously helped develop the Changya app during the mobile internet boom. The app introduced a pioneering interaction mode where users could sing and play without needing instrument skills.
Launched in February 2019, Changya quickly reached more than two million daily active users, earned annual app honors from <a href="/company/huawei">Huawei</a>, <a href="/company/oppo">Oppo</a>, Vivo, and <a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a>, and accumulated 130 million user-generated performances.
Interestingly, Changya’s interface from six years ago looks strikingly similar to today’s companion apps for smart guitars. In a sense, Quwan’s team helped shape the definition of smart guitars long before the hardware caught up.
Changya’s success also confirmed strong demand among non-professionals for accessible music-making. Yet smartphones still limited what music apps could do. With the rise of generative AI, new experiences can no longer be fully realized within mobile devices. That led to TemPolor.
TemPolor taps into Quwan’s self-developed music generation model, Tianpuyue. The model is multimodal, capable of generating music from text, images, audio, and even video.
Building on the same foundation, the Tianpuyue team began closed testing in August for a conversational AI music agent called <a href="https://www.tunee.ai/en">Tunee</a>, which entered global public beta on September 26. Tunee is designed to act like a tireless, collaborative music partner, using dialogue to understand user needs and generate commercial-grade music, even including multitrack files.
Looking back, history’s most disruptive hardware has never just been about stronger specs, but about redefining the experience.
TemPolor offers a reinterpretation of what a musical instrument may represent. No longer only a tool for performance, it could be construed as a medium for expression. In an era where most AI-driven products focus on efficiency, whether to write code, design layouts, or optimize workflows, few explore how AI can enhance human expression and creativity.
At the Apsara Conference, Jia explained his thinking: Tunee and TemPolor represent two directions for AI applications. One prioritizes efficiency, the other experience.
Few global tech companies today combine all three forms, self-developed models, AI applications or agents, and smart hardware. But the trend is clear. Reports that <a href="/company/openai">OpenAI</a> will release its first piece of hardware next year, alongside Google’s and Apple’s ongoing exploration of generative AI with devices, show that leading firms are moving beyond software toward a holistic offering integrating models, hardware, and ecosystems.
Quwan’s approach with Tianpuyue, Tunee, and TemPolor aligns with this direction, only it remains firmly rooted in music. Through deep integration of models, agents, and hardware, it enables anyone passionate about music, even those without theory knowledge or instrumental skills, to step freely into the world of sound.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3481805085711237">article</a> was written by Xiao Xi for 36Kr.

No practice required: Quwan’s TemPolor guitars use AI to make songs playable in minutes

Entertainment

Music

Creative

China's outbound investment in <a href="/industry/ev">electric vehicle</a> manufacturing is showing signs of slowing following five years of aggressive global expansion, with targets for spending shifting toward Asia and into less capital-intensive areas of the supply chain.
Capital intensive battery and raw material projects drove investment levels in the EV supply chain to a peak in 2023, but the value of new overseas investments has plateaued as companies shift to building lower-cost vehicle assembly facilities.
A total of 144 transactions worth USD 19.6 billion in EVs and the related value chain were announced by Chinese companies last year, with value nearly halving compared to the year before. For the first half of 2025, companies announced 64 transactions worth USD 10.4 billion, according to US-based consulting firm Rhodium Group, of which more than a third by value went toward downstream factories.
"Most of those [upstream] plans were in Europe, but now you have quite a slowdown, so we have a lot of projects having been canceled," said Armand Meyer, senior research analyst at Rhodium Group's China Data Services, adding that Chinese EV players are in effect blocked from the US market.
Despite the slowdown, Chinese companies' overseas investments in the sector are expected to continue to outpace domestic ones, according to the US-based consulting group. Foreign direct investment started to rebound last year from Covid-19 pandemic lows.
A quarter of China's completed outbound investments last year were in the EV value chain, up from 5% in 2021, as many projects are becoming fully operational or are expected to come online in the next few years. Production lines are cranking up as the Chinese government is set to <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/electric-vehicles/china-to-impose-export-controls-on-passenger-evs-in-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begin restricting exports</a> of passenger EVs next year.
Battery makers <a href="/company/catl">Contemporary Amperex Technology</a> (CATL), <a href="/company/byd">BYD</a>, and Envision were the top three investors in the EV supply chain in the last 11 and a half years, with a majority of investments bound for Europe.
Chinese battery executives told Nikkei Asia that new outbound investments have tapered this year due to an uncertain geopolitical environment and US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs that have upended global trade relations.
They added, however, that overseas markets remain more lucrative and their share of total revenue has grown as Chinese companies wage a cutthroat price war in their home market.
One battery executive said companies are exploring less capital intensive deals that may include licensing their technology with local manufacturing partners.
Trade protectionist measures by foreign governments, in particular the US and Europe, have prompted companies to move the supply chain outside of China. Europe has been the main beneficiary of Chinese EV investments, but companies are now shifting their spending toward Asia and the Middle East.
Indonesia has been a large recipient of Chinese capital, with its large resource of <a href="https://kr-asia.com/nickel-king-indonesia-relies-on-chinas-catl-for-ev-supply-chain-ambitions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raw materials like nickel</a>. Many of Indonesia's nickel mines are Chinese owned, and Huayou Cobalt became a strategic partner in a major EV battery project earlier this year.
"Indonesia can also manufacture battery materials and battery cells, but Indonesia is also a <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/byd-catching-up-to-honda-mitsubishi-in-southeast-asia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">very large market</a>, so now you have EV assembly plans, too," Meyer said.
A wave of domestic investment in China's EV industry in 2021 and 2022 created battery manufacturing capacity two times local demand and 1.2 times global demand, according to Rhodium Group.
Chinese officials in recent months have spoken of combating overcapacity and price wars in sectors such as EVs and solar. Regulators have summoned clean energy companies, including EV maker BYD and solar panel manufacturer Trina Solar, to address "involution," a term used to describe excess competition that has led to aggressive price cuts.
One senior sales manager at a battery maker, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly, added that the Chinese government has made it more challenging for companies to invest further overseas, with new export control rules on critical technologies for battery cathode materials unveiled in July.
The latest restriction, which requires battery firms to obtain government approval to use key LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery-making technologies outside China, follows a move to ban exports of <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/economy/trade/china-bans-exports-of-rare-earth-magnet-technologies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rare earth magnet technologies.</a>
Some analysts expect Chinese companies will be cleared to use the tech in their overseas facilities but that licensing it to foreign competitors is unlikely.
Investment into the US remains low compared to other markets as hostile US government policies have tightened scrutiny of Chinese battery manufacturers and largely shut Chinese EVs out of the market.
The outbound pursuit by Chinese electric car companies and their suppliers is part of China's larger clean technology industry acceleration overseas. Solar manufacturing made up the majority of outbound capital before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by John Hopkins University's Net Zero industrial Policy Lab, but batteries and EVs have gained momentum from 2022.
The report also highlighted a general slowdown in China's overseas clean tech buildout as companies navigate tighter rules of origin and other tariff concerns.
"Light-asset strategies—technology licensing, contract manufacturing, and OEM (original equipment manufacturing) deals—are spreading from EV makers to battery and solar firms, allowing Chinese champions to preserve market access without large fixed-asset bets," wrote the authors Xiaokang Xue and Mathias Larsen.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/business/automobiles/electric-vehicles/china-s-offshore-ev-investments-shift-toward-asia-amid-signs-of-slowdown">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.kr-asia.com/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

China's offshore EV investments shift toward Asia amid signs of slowdown

After mastering how to walk on two legs, pour drinks, and even dance, humanoid robots are stepping closer to humanlike versatility. The latest stride comes with the launch of DR02, an industrial-grade robot developed by Hangzhou-based <a href="https://www.deeprobotics.cn/en">Deep Robotics</a>, built to operate reliably in all weather conditions.
Announced on October 9, DR02 is said to be the first humanoid robot worldwide to achieve an IP66 protection rating, certifying resistance to dust and powerful water jets, which are key for outdoor operation.
<figure id="attachment_157760" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157760" style="width: 480px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157760" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02-IP66.webp" alt="Graphic shows the DR02 humanoid robot being splashed with water to demonstrate its IP66-rated water resistance." width="480" height="270" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157760" class="wp-caption-text">The DR02 humanoid robot features a waterproof body and frame. Graphic and header image source: Deep Robotics.</figcaption></figure>
Standing 175 centimeters tall and weighing about 65 kilograms, DR02 is engineered for resilience. Its IP66-rated exterior and wide thermal tolerance enable it to function between -20 and 55 degrees Celsius, enduring rain, humidity, and dust, conditions that often disable less protected humanoid machines.
The robot reportedly walks at 1.5 meters per second and can accelerate up to four meters per second. It can climb slopes of up to 20 degrees, and each arm can lift loads of up to ten kilograms. Designed with modularity in mind, its major components, including arms and legs, can be quickly swapped to minimize maintenance downtime.
<figure id="attachment_157758" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157758" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-157758" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02.jpg" alt="Image of the DR02 humanoid robot." width="1920" height="1080" srcset="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02.jpg 1920w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02-720x405.jpg 720w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02-768x432.jpg 768w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Deep-Robotics-DR02-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-157758" class="wp-caption-text">Image of the DR02 humanoid robot. Image source: Deep Robotics.</figcaption></figure>
According to Deep Robotics, DR02 runs on 275 TOPS (tera operations per second) of computing power and integrates a multi-sensor array comprising LiDAR (light detection and ranging), depth sensors, and wide-angle cameras. This combination enables it to perceive obstacles, map routes, and adjust its movement in real time.
Altogether, this balance of strength, dexterity, perception, and environmental resilience positions DR02 for real-world applications in fields such as security, inspection, and logistics.
whereRelatedArticle
DR02’s defining edge lies in environmental adaptability and industrial readiness. At present, few humanoid robots in China are designed with outdoor endurance as a priority. With its IP66 protection and industrial-grade payload capacity, DR02 distinguishes itself from domestic peers such as Unitree Robotics, Agibot, and UBTech. On the global front, it enters a field populated by well-known players including <a href="/company/tesla">Tesla</a> and Boston Dynamics, both of which have been advancing their own humanoid platforms.
The debut also reflects Deep Robotics’ ambitions to gain deeper footholds in a fast-growing industry. The global humanoid robot market was valued at about USD 2 billion in 2024, according to <a href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/humanoid-robot-market-99567653.html">Markets and Markets</a>, but could expand to RMB 6 trillion (USD 840 billion) by 2050, based on Morgan Stanley’s <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/insights/articles/humanoid-robot-market-5-trillion-by-2050">projections</a> that link the growth to embodied intelligence reaching large-scale commercialization.
Within that context, DR02’s focus on durability and outdoor utility may carve a niche that few others currently occupy, reflecting progress in both robotics engineering and how machines are designed to interact with their environments.

Deep Robotics unveils DR02, the world’s first IP66-rated humanoid robot

… and BBG Global, with participation from MVGX Tech and Startech Global Ventures.</li>
</ul>
If there are any news or updates you'd like us to feature, get in touch with us at: <a href="mailto:hello@kr-asia.com">hello@kr-asia.com</a>.
<style>.addcaption{font-size:14px!important;line-height:20px!important;color:inherit;padding-top:8px;border-top:1px solid #e8e8e8}</style>

Deals in brief: Valtor secures Wavemaker backing, Qapita raises Series B funding, Accel and Peak XV invest in Supabase, and more

Venture Capital

Private Equity

Investment

Merger &amp; Acquisition

Singapore

Philippines

Southeast Asia

… mix. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has described access to clean energy as "a major national imperative."
"The industries of the future—<a href="/industry/ai">artificial intelligence</a>, semiconductors, biopharmaceuticals—are highly energy-intensive," said Wong in a budget speech in February. "To meet these growing energy needs and to bring down our carbon emissions at the same time, we will need more clean power."
In September, Singapore doubled its electricity import capacity from Laos and Malaysia to 200 MW and extended an electricity trade deal by two years. Launched in 2022, the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP) became the first multilateral electricity trade agreement in the region.
Neighboring Malaysia, facing surging energy demand from data centers, has also prioritized cross-border links. At the ASEAN summit in May, Kuala Lumpur agreed with Singapore and Vietnam to explore transmitting renewable power from Vietnam through Malaysia to Singapore via a mix of new subsea and overland connections.
Sarawak, Malaysia's hydropower hub, plans to connect with neighboring Sabah by the end of the year through a 34-kilometer cable. Sarawak Energy is also working with Sembcorp Industries and SP Group in Singapore on plans to export 1 GW of power to the city-state via an undersea cable. "There will be no transition without transmission," said a Sarawak Energy representative.
Foreign partners are eyeing opportunities. Investment in ASEAN renewables has grown by 15% annually since 2020, compared with 11% globally, reaching USD 43 billion in 2022, according to Zero Carbon Analytics. China remains the biggest investor, with USD 2.7 billion committed between 2013–2023, but Japan and South Korea are playing a growing role, chipping in USD 2.45 billion and USD 583 million, respectively.
But the ASEAN power grid still faces formidable barriers. Unlike the EU, it lacks a harmonized power market and grid codes, forcing developers to navigate different technical standards and regulatory regimes. Most existing initiatives are limited to bilateral power trading, with only a handful of multilateral efforts underway. The LTMS-PIP multilateral interconnections, often touted as a breakthrough, remain essentially a one-way trade that largely relies on existing infrastructure.
Another key impediment is differences in market structures. Singapore operates a liberalized wholesale electricity market where multiple generators compete to sell into the grid. By contrast, Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia use single-buyer models, with state utilities the sole purchasers.
"While jurisdictions can retain authority in the retail market domestically, some level of integration can facilitate the creation of a wholesale market in the region," said Seah of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Linking island nations with subsea cables is also vastly more expensive than building overland grids. ASEAN's ongoing multilateral interconnection effort, the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Power Integration Project (BIMP-PIP), will involve costly undersea cables and aim for bidirectional flows of geothermal, solar, and even hydrogen energy. This makes it a far more complex project than the LTMS-PIP.
Analysts say the upcoming ASEAN Summit will test whether leaders can move beyond a patchwork of bilateral deals toward a true regional grid, a change that will require major upgrades. Malaysia's ministry of energy transition said member states are expected to sign an enhanced memorandum of understanding on the power grid that includes regulatory and technical alignment, as well as a financial mechanism for cross-border trade.
"At the ASEAN level, a multilateral agreement is needed to provide a clear framework for adoption in each country," said Ardhi Rasy Wardhana of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia. Without that, "bilateral arrangements remain vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity price swings; as they essentially function as exports and imports, they can be weaponized and harmful to one party."
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/asean-money/asean-s-power-grid-dream-gathers-pace-after-decades-of-inertia">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.kr-asia.com/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

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