This photo taken on July 21, 2026 shows a robot giving a demonstration at a testing ground of Wuxi Kaiqi Embodied Intelligent Robot Technology Co., Ltd. in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

NANJING, July 23 (Xinhua)一 A striking contrast unfolds inside the factory of Kailong High-Tech Co., Ltd. in Huishan District of Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province. Automated production lines churning out diesel vehicle exhaust after-treatment systems sit alongside a high-tech lab where quadruped robots, dexterous robotic hands and AI-powered medical bots undergo continuous testing.

This vivid scene shows how a veteran environmental equipment manufacturer has moved smoothly into the cutting-edge embodied intelligence sector.

For over a decade, Kailong High-Tech has specialized in vehicle emission control, developing flagship after-treatment products that meet China's National IV to National VI emission standards and capturing nearly 20 percent of the domestic market.

Yet shifting market demand spurred its strategic shift: clients no longer merely want reliable hardware, but intelligent devices that can operate autonomously in hazardous settings to replace human labor.

Riding the artificial intelligence wave, the firm set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Wuxi Kaiqi Embodied Intelligent Robot Technology Co., Ltd., in November 2025, launching its local robot brand HLJ Robozen to forge a path of innovation built on its existing industrial strengths.

"Many startups rush to build universal robots for all industries, but we take a different approach. We leverage our deep expertise in environmental inspection to focus on vertical scenarios, making our transition seamless," said Qu Yang, general manager of Wuxi Kaiqi Embodied Intelligence.