Pudu Robotics Unveils PUDU D7 at WAIC 2026
Pudu Robotics, described as the global leader in commercial service robotics, held a Pudu AI Technology Briefing on the opening day of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai. During the briefing the company detailed progress on its "One Brain, Multiple Embodiments" technology architecture and provided an in‑depth look at the three‑layer Physical Agent architecture that underpins its robot platform.
The architecture consists of:
- Robot Body Layer – multiple robot forms (specialized, semi‑humanoid, humanoid) designed for distinct tasks such as high‑frequency standardized work, complex industrial and commercial environments, and open‑ended human‑robot collaboration.
- System Layer – the PuduAgent OS, an intelligent operating system that integrates visual‑language models, long/short‑term memory modules and safety guardrails to manage perception, planning, experience accumulation and safe execution across all robot bodies.
- Skill Layer – the PuduFM foundation model, which includes a physical visual‑language module, a Physics Intuition Model (PIM) and action‑expert modules, enabling robots to understand environments, predict outcomes, autonomously plan tasks, execute actions and continuously optimise based on feedback.
Shawn Wu, General Manager of the General Embodied AI Product Line at Pudu Robotics, explained that the unified intelligence foundation allows different robot forms to share the same "brain," creating a platform‑based intelligence ecosystem rather than isolated solutions.
PUDU D7 Public Debut
The PUDU D7, an industrial‑grade semi‑humanoid robot, made its first offline public appearance at WAIC 2026. Powered by the PuduFM model, the robot can carry payloads up to 14 kg and operate at heights of up to 2 m, making it suitable for material handling, high‑reach picking and warehouse logistics across manufacturing, warehousing and retail settings.
Market Position and Scale
According to Frost & Sullivan’s 2025 Global Embodied Intelligence and Commercial Service Robot Independent Market Research Report, Pudu Robotics ranks No. 1 globally in both revenue and shipment volume for commercial service robots, holds the top position among Chinese commercial service robotics firms by overseas market share, and leads worldwide in commercial cleaning robotics revenue. To date the company has shipped more than 130,000 units across more than 85 countries and regions and has filed over 1,900 patent applications worldwide.
Product Portfolio and Applications
Pudu Robotics currently offers four major product lines—service delivery, commercial cleaning, industrial delivery and general embodied AI. Its solutions are deployed in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, real estate and property services, healthcare, entertainment and sport, education and public services. The firm’s core technologies are Embodied Navigation, Embodied Manipulation and Embodied Interaction, all built on the "One Brain, Multiple Embodiments" platform.
Vision
The company’s stated vision is to build a global intelligent robotics infrastructure that serves 10 billion people, leveraging its decade‑long experience to turn real‑world operational data into continuously evolving embodied intelligence.