Questions and answers

We supply robotics and industrial equipment directly from factories in China. We work with a pool of around 60 vetted manufacturers — from market leaders (Unitree, UBTECH, Keenon, Pudu, Dobot, Youibot) to narrowly specialized factories with no representation outside China. We cover the whole chain: model selection, the factory contract, pre-shipment inspection, logistics, customs and commissioning.

We work under a foreign-trade scheme through our own legal entity in China — Shanghai Pinnacle Technology Co., Ltd. That means we sign the factory contract ourselves, directly, with no resale chain. You get the factory price plus a transparent cost for our services and logistics — not a markup from three middlemen.

Because robotics isn't an off-the-shelf product. Every delivery is assembled around the client's task: manipulator configuration, sensor set, compute module, interface language, spare-parts kit. A warehouse would force us to sell what's already been bought, not what you actually need. We provide demonstrations a different way: a video test at the factory built around your scenario, a factory visit as part of a business tour, or a pilot delivery of a single unit.

It's a standard foreign-trade deal: a contract with the Chinese company, payment in foreign currency, delivery under one of the Incoterms. We provide the full set of documents for currency control and customs. Delivery through a Russian legal entity is discussed case by case — write to us and we'll go over your situation.

15 directions: humanoids, quadruped robots, AGV/AMR, collaborative robots, industrial manipulators, service, medical, construction, welding, delta robots, robotic arms, delivery robots, cleaning robots, educational and specialized solutions. A separate direction is production equipment for the food industry.

We start from the task, not the catalog. The process: 1. You describe the process: what's done now, how many people are involved, the takt time, area and weight constraints. 2. We put together a short brief and send it to 3–5 factories with relevant experience. 3. You get 2–3 options at different price points and levels of maturity — with an honest breakdown of where each option is weak. 4. If needed — a pilot on one unit, then a rollout.

Industrial manipulator — repetitive operations at a fixed station, high precision and speed; needs a guard or safety zone, tied rigidly to one spot. Collaborative robot (cobot) — working next to people without a guard; lower speed and payload. AGV / AMR — moving loads around a shop floor or warehouse; needs a prepared surface and marked routes. Service robot — delivery, cleaning, indoor navigation around people; struggles with chaotic environments and stairs. Quadruped robot — inspection, patrols, rough terrain, telemetry capture; small payload, short autonomy. Humanoid — demonstrations, R&D, manipulation tasks in human environments; least mature technology, high price, expensive upkeep.

A large share of Chinese factories work in an OEM/ODM format: on request they swap the end-effector, housing, sensor set, compute module, and write application software. It's more expensive and slower than a stock model, but cheaper than building from scratch. We spell out up front which part of the customization is priced in by the factory and which falls on your own integration.

Options: a video test at the factory built around your scenario (free, a few days' turnaround), a factory visit as part of a business tour, or a pilot delivery of a single unit followed by a rollout. Rental and a RaaS model are discussed case by case on request.

The spread within a single category can be tenfold, so the catalog lists a starting price for the base configuration. The final cost is shaped by: — configuration: payload, degrees of freedom, compute module, sensor set; — the spare-parts kit and spare batteries; — licenses for application software and the SDK; — delivery terms (EXW/FOB — from the factory, DAP — to your address); — customs duties and VAT; — commissioning and staff training. We give the exact price in a commercial proposal with a breakdown of what's fixed and what's an estimate.

Almost always left out: delivery, cargo insurance, customs clearance and duties, VAT, EAEU certification for operation, a charging station (for some models), spare parts, staff training, an engineer's site visit. We list these as separate line items rather than folding them into the price.

We work under three schemes: — 100% upfront — on signing the contract; — 50 / 50 — half on signing, half before shipment; — 30 / 70 — 30% on signing, 70% before shipment. Which scheme applies depends on the deal size, the factory and the specific model: some manufacturers of stock items only work on full prepayment, while project deliveries usually allow a split. We fix the scheme in the contract before production starts, so it doesn't change mid-way. There's currently no installment or post-payment option.

Three mechanisms: 1. Factory acceptance tests (FAT) — a checklist agreed before payment that the robot must pass at the factory. 2. Pre-shipment inspection — our person in China physically checks completeness, serial numbers and functionality, documented with photo and video. 3. The contract — penalties for delay and a replacement procedure for a factory defect. We don't ship until the inspection is signed off.

The lead time is production plus logistics. A stock model from the factory floor — a few days to 2–3 weeks; a model built to a configuration — usually 4–8 weeks; a custom build — from 3 months. Logistics: air 7–15 days, rail 25–40 days, sea 35–60 days. These are approximate ranges; exact dates are fixed in the contract.

Because of the lithium battery. Robot batteries often exceed 1000 Wh and are classified as Class 9 dangerous goods — airlines take them reluctantly and charge a premium. That's why there are two shipping schemes (see the certification and customs section).

It depends on the agreed Incoterms. Under EXW/FOB the risk passes to the buyer earlier; under DAP we carry it to your address. We separately recommend cargo insurance: a robot is fragile electronics in a rugged case, and rough handling at terminals does happen.

CE / FCC — compliance with safety and electromagnetic-compatibility rules. RoHS — absence of hazardous substances in the electronics. UN38.3 and MSDS — documents for the lithium battery. No international carrier will accept a robot for transport without them — the most critical papers in the set. Ask for originals stamped by testing labs and verify authenticity — a "certificate" drawn up by a factory's sales department shows up regularly.

Combined shipping (UN3481): the robot travels with the battery installed — by cargo plane or by sea, in a rugged case. More expensive, but simpler on receiving. Split shipping (UN3480): the robot flies as regular equipment without the battery, while the battery goes by land or sea as dangerous goods. Cheaper, but the timelines diverge, and the robot is useless until the battery arrives.

8479 50 000 0 — industrial robots (duty usually 0–5% plus VAT). 8471 — computing machines, if the robot is positioned as a mobile compute platform. 9023 00 800 0 — demonstration models and training equipment; relevant for humanoids with no applied function supplied to universities. The code depends on the design and stated purpose, not the marketing copy. We recommend getting an advance customs classification ruling before the cargo reaches the border — it removes the risk of reclassification and downtime at the bonded warehouse.

Yes, and it's a separate matter. For legal operation the equipment must meet EAEU technical regulations — primarily TR TS 010/2011 (machinery safety) and TR TS 004/2011 and 020/2011 (electrical safety and EMC). Most items need a declaration or certificate of conformity with the EAC mark. Factory CE and FCC don't substitute for this — they're accepted as supporting evidence, not as a replacement for the EAEU document.

If the robot has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other encryption tools — and it almost always does — importing it into the EAEU requires a notification on cryptographic tools. Large brands often already have one filed for the model; smaller factories usually don't, and it has to be obtained. We check this before signing the contract, because it can hold cargo up for months.

The industry standard is Ubuntu Linux (20.04 or 22.04 LTS). The top control layer runs on ROS or ROS 2. For custom scripts, algorithms and behavior scenarios, C++ and Python libraries are provided.

No, and it's worth knowing that upfront. The code is split into layers: — Low level — humanoid balancing, gait dynamics, joint current control. Hard-baked into the controllers, delivered as a "black box" and remains the factory's property. — High-level SDK — available to the buyer: trajectory control, reading sensor data, working with manipulators, integrating your own AI models. If your task requires touching the low-level algorithms, that's a separate conversation with the factory and, as a rule, a separate budget.

Factories provide documentation in English and Chinese — through closed wiki portals or private GitHub repos. Firmware updates are installed OTA or manually over a cable. A separate recommendation: request guest access to the documentation before buying. Translation quality and API completeness are the best indicator of a product's maturity. A glossy brochure paired with a 12-method API documented only in Chinese is a bad sign.

Yes. The onboard compute has a stack for working with neural networks. The typical setup: the robot's microphone array records speech, the recognized text goes out as an API call to a cloud LLM, and the reply is voiced by a local TTS module in the needed language. Account for channel latency, and note that if the network drops, the conversational function goes down while basic navigation keeps working.

Through the high-level API. Typical interfaces are REST/WebSocket and MQTT; industrial lines also use OPC UA and Modbus. Factory software almost never talks to your system out of the box: the integration layer is written for your specific setup, and its effort needs its own line item in the project.

Some mass-market service robots have a Russian localization; industrial robots and humanoids usually only have English and Chinese. Russian speech recognition and synthesis are handled by connecting third-party engines. We do interface and voice-scenario localization as separate work — format and cost are quoted individually for the task.

For basic tasks — navigation, kinematics — industrial controllers. For computer vision and local AI, NVIDIA Jetson Orin modules (Nano / NX / AGX) or custom x86 computers with discrete accelerators are installed. Always ask for the exact compute-node spec, including TOPS performance. It's the only way to know whether your local models will actually run on the robot, or whether inference has to be pushed to the cloud.

Nothing critical. All safety systems and basic navigation run locally on the onboard computer. Losing the network doesn't make the robot fall or crash into a wall — it runs its built-in failsafe: stops and holds balance, or returns to the starting point via its saved map. The cloud connection is for telemetry and external commands, not for keeping the robot on its feet.

A hybrid sensor-fusion system: — 3D LiDAR — 360° laser scanning, precise distance to objects. — Depth RGB-D cameras — terrain, step height, face and obstacle recognition. — Ultrasonic and IR sensors — cover the blind spots right against the housing. — Torque sensors in every joint — if there's light resistance (say, an arm brushes a person), the motion stops instantly.

This is a question that can decide a project's fate in Russia. Most service robots and humanoids are built for indoor use: IP54 or lower, roughly 0 to +40°C. Outdoor and shop-floor operation, hose-down washing, and sub-zero temperatures need dedicated versions — typically ruggedized quadrupeds and AMRs. Ask for the IP rating and temperature range in the spec sheet, not the pitch deck.

Payload and how it's distributed, repeatability of positioning, the manipulator's working envelope, the slope and threshold height a mobile platform can handle, noise, mean time between failures (MTBF), and how many units of this model the factory has already shipped. The last one is the most honest sign of maturity.

The runtime quoted in the brochure (say, 5 hours) is usually measured standing still. In real use — constant movement, manipulators working, LiDAR scanning, processor cooling or heating — the runtime is 1.5 to 3 hours. For humanoids, most of the draw goes to holding balance; across all classes, a large share goes to the compute units. Plan shift cycles around the real numbers, not the spec sheet. A practical rule: halve the quoted runtime.

Most service robots and quadrupeds ship with docking stations for auto-charging — the robot finds the station via camera or IR beacon and docks on its own. Large humanoids still need a cable plugged in by hand. Check whether the charging station is included or sold separately: it regularly turns out to be an unpleasant surprise on the invoice.

High-density lithium-ion or lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are used. Lifespan is around 800–1,200 charge cycles before capacity drops to 80%. The key question for the factory is the architecture: does the robot support a hot-swap in a couple of minutes, or is the battery built into the housing and only replaceable by disassembly at a service center? For shift work, the former is a must.

A lithium battery can discharge below 0°C with some capacity loss, but charging below 0°C damages the cells — most BMS units simply block it. For cold zones you need either a version with a heated battery compartment, or an operational workaround: charge indoors, work outside.

By default — no. Commissioning is set up remotely, over WeChat or Zoom. A site visit is possible from top-tier brands on a bulk order, or as a paid option — you cover the visa, flight, accommodation and a daily engineer rate (roughly $300–1,000 a day). We close that gap on our side: we have partner engineering teams who handle installation, commissioning and setup at the client's site. The scope is discussed per project — from one-off help with the first start-up to full turnkey supervision.

Basic operator training happens remotely from the factory, usually in English with our translation, plus a handed-over set of instructions. For industrial lines and cobots, group training at the factory during acceptance is common — if you're travelling for the FAT anyway, that's the best time for it. The scope and cost of our own Aura Robotics training program are quoted individually for your equipment fleet.

For service robots — no, a trained operator is enough. For industrial manipulators, cobots and AMRs — yes: you need someone who can read logs, work with ROS, reprogram for a new part number, and isn't afraid of a terminal. Not having that person is the second most common reason a robot ends up parked in a corner. The first is missing spare parts.

Unpacking, assembly and the first start-up — a day to a week. Tuning for the process, mapping the space, debugging scenarios — one to several weeks. Industrial lines with ERP integration — months. Plan for a pilot period where the robot works alongside a person, not instead of one.

The standard across Chinese factories is 12 months. It covers factory defects: control-board, servo and sensor failures under intended use. Not covered: mechanical damage from drops, water ingress (below IP65), normal wear of foot pads and wheels, and battery capacity degradation. Extended warranty is available from some factories for an extra fee — we discuss it at the contract stage.

So the robot doesn't sit idle for months over a minor failure, buy along with the main order: — 1–2 original joints/servos — actuators are the most heavily loaded and most frequently failing part; — spare power cables and interface harnesses; — a set of protective plastic housing covers; — an extra battery. This is the most underrated line in the budget. Ordering a single actuator as a separate shipment later costs more and takes longer than including it in the main delivery.

1. You record video of the fault and pull the error logs via the terminal. 2. Factory engineers run remote diagnostics. 3. A software fault gets a patch sent over. A hardware fault means you remove the unit (say, an arm or a leg) and ship it to the factory by cargo under an RMA procedure. 4. The factory repairs the unit and ships it back. The buyer usually pays shipping to China; the factory pays the return leg. The cycle takes 3+ weeks. That's exactly why spare parts matter more than the warranty.

Parts are available as long as the model is in production, and usually for a few years after. The real risk is elsewhere: Chinese vendors refresh their lineups fast, and in 3–4 years the actuators for "your" revision can become impossible to source. The practical takeaway — for a long operating horizon, pick a model with a large shipped volume, not the newest release.

Yes, we have partners — engineering companies that service and repair this kind of equipment in Russia. Some faults are resolved on site, without shipping the unit to China, and for warranty cases we manage the RMA process: diagnostics with the factory, removing the unit, shipping it out and receiving it back. The scope and terms of service are discussed for your equipment fleet.

Industrial manipulators need a physical guard or safety-zone scanners. Collaborative robots are designed to work next to people: limited speed, limited force, torque sensors in every joint. The reference points are the ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066 standards. But a "cobot" label on the nameplate doesn't replace a risk assessment of your specific workstation — that has to be done for your process.

An occupational risk assessment for the workstation with the robot, an operating manual in Russian, operator training and briefing, and an emergency-stop scheme accessible to people. We provide the technical base — manuals, diagrams, data sheets; drawing up the internal paperwork stays with the employer.

If the robot recognizes faces, that's processing of biometric personal data under 152-FZ, with the corresponding requirements: a legal basis, subjects' consent, notice of video surveillance. Technically it's manageable: on most models, face recognition can be turned off while video processing stays fully local, without uploading to the manufacturer's cloud. This has to be resolved before launch, not after the first complaint.

A robot is a Linux machine with a permanent channel to the manufacturer's servers. Standard hygiene applies: a separate VLAN, restricted outbound connections, disabling unnecessary telemetry, changing default passwords and SSH keys, and controlling firmware updates. We provide a list of addresses and ports a given model talks to, so your security team can set rules deliberately.

Compare full costs of ownership, not "robot price vs. salary." What the robot replaces: full payroll with taxes across every shift it covers; losses from defects and errors; losses from downtime and turnover; injury-related costs on hazardous stations; hiring and training costs. What the robot costs: the equipment and delivery price, customs and VAT, certification, integration and commissioning, staff training, electricity, spare parts and scheduled maintenance, battery replacement over its service life, software licenses, and the salary of the engineer who supports it. Calculate it correctly over 3–5 years of operation, not the first year: in year one, the balance is almost always in favor of the human.

It depends on how many shifts are replaced, so there's no single number. A robot working one shift pays back twice as slowly as the same robot working two. Monotonous, high-takt, round-the-clock operations pay back fastest; representative and demo scenarios pay back slowest, since the payoff isn't really about payroll savings. We run the calculation on your numbers with the calculator on the site and refine it in the proposal.

Charging stations, spare parts, battery replacement in year three, the integration layer to the accounting system, EAEU certification, adapting the space for AMR routes, and the salary of the person who will actually live with it day to day. In our experience this adds a meaningful share on top of the equipment price — and leaving it out of the calculation is what kills projects.

An organized visit to Chinese robotics factories: you see the assembly lines, test grounds, output volumes and quality-control level with your own eyes — and talk to engineers, not the sales department. For most clients this is the fastest way to tell a real manufacturer from an assembly shop with someone else's brand on the housing.

Selecting factories that match your profile and arranging the visits, the route and transfers, an interpreter with technical Chinese, support during negotiations, help with accommodation, and a final report on each factory.

The cost depends on the program: the number of factories, the duration, the city and the group size. It's fixed once the program is agreed and doesn't change afterward. The flight from Russia isn't included — you book it yourself, or we help find one. See the exact cost of the upcoming tour and the full breakdown on the Tours page.

China's visa regime for Russian citizens has changed several times in recent years — we confirm the current requirements individually before each tour and help with the paperwork and factory invitation letters.

No. The tour is a standalone service. Many people come for the industry overview: to gauge the technology level, find suppliers for their own build, or size up a niche before entering it.

Lines and individual units of equipment for food production: processing, filling, packaging, labeling, in-plant transport. As with robotics, we work directly with factories and match a solution to your product, takt time and floor space.

Equipment that contacts food must meet TR TS 021/2011 and related regulations: food-grade stainless steel in contact parts, a design that allows washing and sanitizing, and documentation on contact-surface materials. Ask the factory for these documents at the spec stage — replacing a contact unit after delivery costs more than choosing the right one beforehand.

A line is more involved than a single robot: it needs installation, utility hookups, supervised assembly and acceptance testing. Our partner engineering teams in Russia handle this work, together with remote support from the factory when needed. The scope and format are discussed per project.