How One Startup Built a (Mostly) China-Free Robot
Ati Robotics, founded by Saurabh Chandra, assembles robots in India with minimal Chinese parts, positioning itself as a beneficiary of the recent US ban on Chinese-made robotics imports. The company develops its own hardware, including a China-free tugger and a pallet mover with less than 5% Chinese components. Ati's first humanoid, set to deploy later this year, still relies on some Chinese parts but aims to diversify supply sources.
Ati Robotics, founded in 2017 by Saurabh Chandra, initially developed motors for self-driving cars before pivoting to manufacturing robots like tuggers and pallet movers for warehouses. The company assembles its robots in Bangalore, India, leveraging the local EV supply chain for automotive-grade components, which are reliable and cost-efficient. Two best-selling models—a 10,000-pound tugger and a pallet mover—are nearly China-free, with the tugger using no Chinese parts except battery cells, and the pallet mover less than 5% Chinese parts, mainly a solid-state lidar sensor. Ati's first humanoid, which moves heavy bins, will enter service later this year; it uses a Chinese harmonic drive and frameless motor but plans to source alternatives from Germany, Taiwan, or Japan. The US Federal Communications Commission's ban on Chinese-made robots could hamper smaller US firms but benefits Ati as an "accidental beneficiary." Ati has several hundred robots in operation with over 50 customers, and is setting up a facility in Madison Heights, Michigan, for future assembly.
- Abbreviations
- R&D = Research and Development — Научно-исследовательские и опытно-конструкторские работы
- EV = Electric Vehicle — Электромобиль
Source: Wired AI —
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