KEENON Robotics

KEENON Robotics (Chinese: 擎朗智能, also known as Keenon) is a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Shanghai, China that builds autonomous commercial service robots for the hospitality, healthcare, retail, and cleaning industries. Founded on February 4, 2010 by Li Tong (also written Tong Li), KEENON is the world's leading commercial service robot manufacturer, with a global shipment market share of 22.7 percent in 2024 according to research firm IDC. The company has shipped over 100,000 service robots and reports deployments in more than 600 cities across 60+ countries and regions. In March 2025, KEENON expanded into humanoid robots with the launch of the XMAN-R1, followed by the bipedal XMAN-F1 in July 2025.^[1][2][3]

History

KEENON Robotics was founded on February 4, 2010 by Li Tong, who launched the company with three friends and a pooled investment of 200,000 yuan, working out of an unfinished two-bedroom apartment in Shanghai. Li, who holds a master's degree in electrical engineering and automation from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and worked in robotics at Microsoft before founding the company, focused the early business on autonomous robots for restaurants and hospitality.^[4][5]

In 2013, KEENON released a tracked first-generation catering robot nicknamed "Xiaolang," targeting labor shortages in Chinese restaurants. Progress was slow and the founding team almost disbanded. In 2015, a 1 million yuan personal investment from a former Microsoft colleague kept the company alive. At the end of 2016, KEENON closed a Series A of tens of millions of yuan led by Yunqi Capital and Songhe Capital, its first institutional round.^[5]

In 2016, KEENON launched the DINERBOT T1, which the company describes as an early autonomous delivery robot for restaurants, marking its move into mass-market commercial service robotics. By 2018, KEENON had established a dedicated mass production line for catering delivery robots and partnered with the Haidilao hot pot chain to build what the two companies promoted as the world's first "intelligent restaurant," with food delivered to tables by autonomous wheeled robots.^[1][6]

The period from 2018 to 2019 was difficult. A broader trust crisis in Chinese AI investment left KEENON unable to close a new funding round for nearly a year, and Li Tong later said the company nearly ran out of cash. A bridge round from existing shareholders in early 2019 kept the company solvent. At the end of 2019, shipments crossed 1,000 units and KEENON closed a 200 million yuan Series B led by Source Code Capital.^[5]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, KEENON pivoted quickly to medical use cases, launching the M1 medical delivery robot and the M2 disinfection robot. Disinfection and delivery units were deployed across more than 100 hospitals and quarantine sites in China, which validated the autonomous navigation platform in non-restaurant environments and helped the company recruit Series C investors including Alibaba and SoftBank Ventures Asia.^[1][5]

In September 2021, KEENON announced a $200 million Series D round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from CICC ALPHA and Prosperity7 Ventures (the diversified growth fund of Saudi Aramco Ventures). The round was reported as the largest single funding round in the commercial service robot industry at the time and brought total disclosed funding to roughly $244 million.^[7][8]

In 2022 KEENON established a dedicated International Business Division, opening wholly-owned subsidiaries in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. By 2024 overseas markets supplied roughly half of revenue, with reported 2023 year-on-year growth of over 240 percent in Japan, more than 100 percent in South Korea, and around 50 percent across Europe.^[1][9][10]

In 2024, KEENON shipped its 100,000th service robot and IDC ranked the company first globally in commercial service robot shipments with 22.7 percent of the market, first in delivery robot shipments with 29.8 percent, and first in catering delivery exports with 44.8 percent.^[2][9]

In 2025 the company pivoted aggressively into humanoid robotics. On March 31, 2025, KEENON unveiled the wheeled humanoid XMAN-R1 along with three new KLEENBOT cleaning robots (C40, C55, C20).^[3] At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai (July 26 to 29, 2025), KEENON debuted the bipedal XMAN-F1, the company's first walking humanoid service robot, with live demonstrations that included mixing customer-specified soft drinks and serving cocktails under a partnership with Johnnie Walker Blue Label.^[11] In October 2025, the XMAN-R1 entered live service at the Shangri-La Traders Hotel at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, working alongside the DINERBOT T10, KLEENBOT C30, and KEENON S100 in what the company called a "General-Purpose + Special-Purpose" multi-robot model.^[12]

In January 2026 at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, KEENON exhibited the XMAN-R1 to American buyers for the first time and unveiled the KEENMOW K1, an autonomous robotic lawn mower that marked the company's first move from commercial service into the home robotics market.^[13]

When was KEENON Robotics founded and who runs it?

KEENON Robotics was founded on February 4, 2010 in Shanghai by Li Tong, who remains the company's founder and chief executive officer. KEENON started as a four-person team and grew over fifteen years into the global market leader in commercial service robots, surviving what a 36Kr profile described as being "thrice on the brink of collapse."^[4][5] KEENON is privately held and, as of 2026, has not announced plans for an initial public offering.^[5][10]

How is KEENON Robotics funded?

KEENON has raised at least four disclosed venture rounds, culminating in a $200 million Series D in September 2021 that was reported as the largest single funding round in the commercial service robot industry at the time. Total disclosed funding stood at roughly $244 million after the Series D close, with SoftBank entities as the largest external backers.^[7][8]

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What products does KEENON Robotics make?

Product lines overview

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DINERBOT T series

The DINERBOT family is the company's longest-running and best-selling line. It consists of wheeled delivery robots with stacked open trays, voice prompts, and a touch display for staff and customers. Selected models include the T1, T3, T6, T8, T9, T10, and T11.^[14]

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The T8 was awarded Japan's Good Design Award in 2023 for its compact form factor and SLAM-based obstacle handling. The T10, launched as a flagship in 2023, adds an articulated head with expressive screens, 360-degree perception via five stereo vision sensors and four RGB cameras, and a 23.8-inch advertising display oriented at customers.^[14][15]

BUTLERBOT W series

The BUTLERBOT W3 is a compartmentalized hotel delivery robot with enclosed cabins for hygienic transport of room service items, amenities, and small parcels. It is integrated with hotel elevator and door systems to handle multi-floor delivery without staff intervention. KEENON reported that the BUTLERBOT series grew its revenue by 244 percent in 2023, the highest growth rate in its product portfolio.^[1][9]

KEENON M series (medical)

The medical line includes the M1 medical delivery robot, which carries medication, samples, and supplies between hospital wards, and the M2 disinfection robot, which combines UVC ultraviolet light with a dry-fog spray system. KEENON cites a 99.9 percent disinfection rate on tested surfaces. The M2 and related units were deployed at more than 100 hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a newer M104 logistics robot was shown at WAIC 2025 partnered with the bipedal XMAN-F1 in a simulated medical station.^[1][11]

KLEENBOT C series

KEENON entered the commercial cleaning market in 2023 and expanded the lineup in March 2025 with three new models.^[3]

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XMAN-R1

The XMAN-R1 is KEENON's first humanoid service robot, unveiled on March 31, 2025. It uses a wheeled mobile base with a humanoid upper body and is designed to interact with guests and coordinate with the rest of the KEENON fleet.^[3]

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XMAN-F1

The XMAN-F1 is KEENON's first bipedal humanoid, debuted at WAIC 2025 in Shanghai (July 26 to 29, 2025). It uses dual seven-degree-of-freedom arms, 3D vision, and dynamic balance for walking, and was demonstrated mixing customer-specified iced drinks (with adjustable ice levels), preparing popcorn, and serving cocktails alongside the T10. KEENON pairs XMAN-F1 with logistics robots like the M104 in healthcare scenarios.^[11]

KEENMOW K1

Unveiled at CES 2026, the KEENMOW K1 is an autonomous robotic lawn mower that uses 3D LiDAR-vision fusion perception to build a high-precision 3D map of the garden without requiring boundary wires. It navigates passages as narrow as 0.8 meters and plans mowing routes around obstacles such as garden furniture and plants. It is KEENON's first home consumer product.^[13]

What technology powers KEENON robots?

KOM 2.0 vision-language-action model

KEENON developed an in-house vision-language-action (VLA) foundation model called KOM 2.0, aimed at service-industry tasks rather than general open-ended robotics. The model supports few-shot learning so that a robot can be adapted to a new restaurant, hospital ward, or hotel floor with a small set of demonstrations rather than a full retraining cycle. It is used in the XMAN series and increasingly in the wheeled fleet for higher-level task planning.^[16]

Autonomous navigation

KEENON's robots run a proprietary SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) navigation stack that fuses LiDAR, stereo vision, inertial measurement, wheel odometry, and UWB beacons. The company states centimeter-level positioning accuracy in indoor environments and has integrations for autonomous elevator and door operation, which enables multi-floor hotel and hospital deployments. The DINERBOT T8 uses a 2+1 binocular vision system covering 204 degrees of dynamic obstacle detection and can identify objects as low as 5 cm.^[14][16]

Custom silicon

KEENON designs proprietary onboard chips intended to raise compute throughput while keeping power draw low enough for long-shift restaurant and hospital operation. Battery life on flagship delivery robots ranges from about 12 to 24 hours depending on the model.^[14][16]

Where are KEENON robots deployed, and how big is the market?

KEENON's robots operate across several commercial sectors:

• Restaurants: Autonomous food and drink delivery, including a long-running rollout with Haidilao; the company reports adoption by roughly 65 percent of China's top 100 food and beverage brands.^[6]
• Hotels: Room service delivery via the BUTLERBOT W3, guest guidance, and luggage transport; partnerships with the Shangri-La group and others.^[1][12]
• Healthcare: Medication and sample delivery (M1), UVC and dry-fog disinfection (M2), and logistics on hospital floors (M104).^[1][11]
• Retail and offices: Floor cleaning via the KLEENBOT line, customer guidance, and in-store advertising on screens carried by the T10 and S series.^[3]
• Entertainment and conferences: XMAN-R1 and XMAN-F1 appearances at conferences, hotel lobbies, and brand activations.^[11][13]

According to IDC data for 2024, KEENON held the number one position in three categories: 22.7 percent of global commercial service robot shipments, 29.8 percent of global delivery service robot shipments, and 40.4 percent of global food delivery robot shipments. The company also led catering delivery robot exports with a 44.8 percent share. IDC reported that Chinese vendors accounted for 84.7 percent of global commercial service robot shipments in 2024, underscoring how concentrated the category is among China-based manufacturers. In the Chinese commercial robot market, IDC has reported a KEENON share of around 60 percent in the catering category in some years, including a 48.6 percent share with 153.4 percent year-on-year growth in catering robots in 2021.^[2][9]

How does KEENON compare to Pudu and other rivals?

Major competitors in commercial service robotics include Pudu Robotics of Shenzhen, Beijing-based Orion Star Technology, and Suzhou Pangolin Robot. The competitive dynamic in China has been characterized by sharp price competition, which has limited margins despite high unit volumes.^[10][17]

Unlike some humanoid developers chasing general-purpose autonomy, KEENON has framed its 2025 humanoid push as deliberately incremental, prioritizing reliable single tasks in restaurants and hotels over open-ended capability. Founder and chief executive Li Tong told the South China Morning Post: "At this stage, we don't expect to create an all-purpose robot. The deployment of humanoid robots will evolve gradually, from single tasks to multiple tasks, from limited versatility to broader capabilities." KEENON expected sales to grow about 50 percent in 2025 on the strength of overseas demand and its commercial fleet.^[10]

What is KEENON's corporate status?

KEENON is privately held. Disclosed funding totals approximately $244 million as of the Series D close in September 2021, with SoftBank entities as the largest external backers. The company has not announced an IPO plan and continues to invest in humanoid hardware, the KOM 2.0 model, and overseas sales channels. Overseas subsidiaries cover the United States (Los Angeles), Germany, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), the Netherlands, and Hong Kong.^[1][7][10]

See also

• XMAN-R1
• XMAN-F1
• DINERBOT
• Service robot
• Humanoid robot
• Pudu Robotics
• Vision-Language-Action Model
• SoftBank Vision Fund

References

1. KEENON Robotics. "About KEENON." keenon.com. https://www.keenon.com/en/about/index.html ↩
2. PR Newswire. "KEENON Robotics Continues Global Lead in Commercial Service Robot Market, Securing Triple No.1 Rankings, IDC Reports." 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keenon-robotics-continues-global-lead-in-commercial-service-robot-market-securing-triple-no1-rankings-idc-reports-302509306.html ↩
3. PR Newswire. "KEENON Robotics Marks a New Milestone with the Unveiling of the Humanoid Robot XMAN-R1 and the Latest KLEENBOT Additions." March 31, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keenon-robotics-marks-a-new-milestone-with-the-unveiling-of-the-humanoid-robot-xman-r1-and-the-latest-kleenbot-additions-302415464.html ↩
4. Crunchbase. "Tong Li, Founder and CEO at Keenon Robotics." https://www.crunchbase.com/person/tong-li-2d40 ↩
5. 36Kr. "Thrice on the Brink of Collapse, Thrice Making Comebacks: A Robotics Company's 15-Year Extreme Survival." 2025. https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3461564740752773 ↩
6. Jeffrey Dong. "Wine and Dine with Keenon." Medium. https://jeffrey-dong.medium.com/wine-dine-with-keenon-9bc81824b848 ↩
7. PR Newswire. "Keenon Robotics raises 200 Million ($) in Series D funding led by Softbank Vision Fund 2." September 15, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keenon-robotics-raises-200-million--in-series-d-funding-led-by-softbank-vision-fund-2-301377232.html ↩
8. The Robot Report. "Keenon Robotics raises $200 million in Series D funding." 2021. https://www.therobotreport.com/keenon-robotics-raises-200-million-in-series-d-funding/ ↩
9. PR Newswire. "KEENON Robotics Ranked Number One in Catering Delivery Robot Exports, with Over 100,000 of Its Service Robots Shipped Globally." November 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keenon-robotics-ranked-number-one-in-catering-delivery-robot-exports-with-over-100-000-of-its-service-robots-shipped-globally-302294206.html ↩
10. South China Morning Post. "Back to basics: SoftBank-backed Keenon Robotics takes pragmatic approach with humanoids." 2025. https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3319728/back-basics-softbank-backed-keenon-robotics-takes-pragmatic-approach-humanoids ↩
11. PR Newswire. "KEENON Debuts First Bipedal Humanoid Service Robot at WAIC, Showcasing Role-Specific Embodied AI Solutions." July 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keenon-debuts-first-bipedal-humanoid-service-robot-at-waic-showcasing-role-specific-embodied-ai-solutions-302514398.html ↩
12. PR Newswire. "Keenon Humanoid Robot Joins Hotel Workforce, Pioneering World's First General-Purpose + Special-Purpose Robot Collaboration Model." 2025. ↩
13. PR Newswire. "KEENON Robotics Showcases Humanoid Robot at CES 2026 for First Time and Unveils First Robotic Lawn Mower." January 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keenon-robotics-showcases-humanoid-robot-at-ces-2026-for-first-time-and-unveils-first-robotic-lawn-mower-expanding-its-robotic-services-into-new-realms-302654158.html ↩
14. KEENON Robotics. "DINERBOT T8 Product Page." keenon.com. https://www.keenon.com/en/product/T8/index.html ↩
15. RobotLAB. "Keenon T10 Robot Product Page." https://www.robotlab.com/hospitality-robots/store/keenon-t10-robot ↩
16. TechNode. "KEENON Robotics drives intelligent transformation of service robot technology." October 31, 2025. https://technode.com/2025/10/31/keenon-robotics-drives-intelligent-transformation-of-service-robot-technology/ ↩
17. The Wire China. "China is Churning Out a Growing Army of Service Robots." February 2026. https://www.thewirechina.com/2026/02/08/china-is-churning-out-a-growing-army-of-service-robots/ ↩