China's PL-Universe Robotics debuts new products, partners with JD.com

PL-Universe Robotics, a rising company in China's embodied intelligence sector, unveiled its latest products and announced a strategic partnership with JD.com at the e-commerce giant's Beijing E-Town headquarters on Nov. 1.

The event showcased the ProWhite Robot 2.0, an industrial-grade wheeled embodied robot featuring four modular end effectors and a hybrid-driven dexterous hand. PL-Universe also named JD.com its exclusive global online sales partner.

PL-Universe's ProWhite Robot 2.0 on display at JD.com headquarters in Beijing E-Town, Nov. 1, 2025. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

"The embodied intelligence sector is booming, but what customers care about is whether the robots are usable and practical," said Wu Chaoxin, co-founder and chief technology officer of PL-Universe. He noted that the company's research and development is "scenario-driven," with designs grounded in real frontline industrial pain points. The first-generation ProWhite Robot, launched in August, gained attention at the World Robot Conference for its flexibility and precision.

Wu said manufacturers require robots with precision, efficiency and stability. The updated ProWhite Robot 2.0 delivers ultra-high precision, robust adaptability and process enhancement functions to meet those demands.

He said the robot is equipped with PL-Universe's proprietary end effectors, designed for locking, dispensing, oiling and soldering. These attachments are suitable for nearly 40% of core manufacturing techniques and can be used both with the ProWhite robot and other systems.

To address complex tasks such as assembling irregularly shaped parts and handling wire harnesses, PL-Universe introduced its new dexterous hand that offers both flexible operation and precise control.

Wu said its self-developed ProxiGrasp intelligent grasping algorithm allows the hand to automatically adapt to demanding tasks, enabling precise operations in industrial automation, precision medicine, extreme environments and virtual reality applications.

Wu added that PL-Universe's InduThread-VLA model enables robots to "see," "understand" and "foresee." Integration with JD.com's JoyInside platform brings context-aware conversational capabilities.

Beyond industrial applications, Ge Jin, founder and chief operating officer of PL-Universe, noted that much of the tacit knowledge held by veteran industrial workers is at risk of being lost; however, embodied intelligent robots can serve as "experience carriers." To address this, PL-Universe announced a plan to digitize skilled craftsmanship using self-developed large AI models and algorithmic modeling.

As PL-Universe's designated online retail partner, JD.com will support global distribution and technical service. Zheng Xiaodan, head of embodied intelligence at JD.com's smart robot unit, stated that the collaboration targets two major concerns for corporate buyers — trust in purchasing channels and guaranteed after-sales support — to help drive broader adoption of embodied intelligence across industries.