Kepler Robotics

Kepler Robotics (legal name: Kepler Exploration Robot Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese robotics company headquartered in Pudong, Shanghai, founded in 2023 by Debo Hu. It designs, manufactures, and commercializes general-purpose humanoid robots in the Forerunner series (models K1, S1, D1, K2). Its flagship product — the Forerunner K2 "Bumblebee" — was unveiled on October 21, 2024. The company has developed its proprietary KEPLERGEAR actuator system, combining planetary roller screw linear actuators with rotary actuators, alongside the Nebula (perception) and Cerebellum (motion control) software stacks. Kepler's robots are deployed in intelligent manufacturing, logistics, high-risk operations, and research. In April 2024 the company raised a Pre-A funding round backed by Zhangke Yaokun Fund, VEICHI and Keli Sensing. Mass production of the K2 began in 2025, with customers including the SAIC-GM plant in Shanghai.