Pudu Robotics Unveils the D7, a Semi-Humanoid Industrial Robot Built on Its PuduFM Foundation Model
Pudu Robotics launched the D7, a dual-arm semi-humanoid industrial robot running its PuduFM 1.0 foundation model, with a 14 kg payload and 2-meter reach for warehouse work.
Overview
Pudu Robotics, the Chinese company best known for its restaurant and hospitality service robots, has moved into heavy industrial automation with the launch of the PUDU D7, which it describes as a next-generation industrial semi-humanoid robot designed for manufacturing and industrial environments, according to The AI Insider. The company announced the D7 on June 1, 2026, positioning it as its entry into a market where Tesla, Figure AI, and a wave of Chinese rivals are all racing to put dexterous, mobile robots onto factory floors.
What We Know
The D7 is built on PuduFM 1.0, which the company calls its embodied intelligence foundation model. According to The AI Insider, the robot “integrates scenario-driven intelligence, large-model reasoning, and practical business value,” and is meant to learn from experience and continuously optimize its behavior in real-world environments rather than relying on predefined programs and fixed workflows. Pudu frames the D7 as an industrial-grade evolvable semi-humanoid robot born from real-world scenarios and evolved through foundation models, as Robotics Business News reported.
On the hardware side, the D7 uses a dual-arm design. It supports a payload capacity of up to 14 kg (30.9 lbs) and can operate at heights of up to 2 meters (6.6 ft), enabling interaction with high-rack storage systems, according to The AI Insider. Per Robotics Business News, the robot is equipped with dual front-and-rear LiDAR systems for 360-degree environmental awareness and advertises millimeter-level force-control accuracy for tasks that require tactile precision.
For continuous operation, the D7 supports fully autonomous battery swapping, which Pudu says allows around-the-clock, 24/7 use, according to Robotics Business News. The company markets the machine for high-frequency tasks such as material handling, shelf picking, and inventory replenishment across manufacturing and warehouse environments.
Pudu also tied the D7 to a broader software roadmap. According to RoboticsTomorrow, the company is developing PuduAgent, a general-purpose embodied agent architecture intended to let robots decompose tasks autonomously and coordinate across multiple machines.
Company Context
The move extends Pudu beyond the service niche where it built its business. To date, the company has shipped over 130,000 units globally, with a presence in more than 85 countries and regions, according to The AI Insider. The D7 is being marketed toward a broad set of sectors that includes retail, hospitality, manufacturing, real estate and property services, healthcare, education, and public services, as RoboticsTomorrow noted. Pudu summed up its ambitions with the tagline “Born Intelligent. Transforming Industries. Reimagining Life.”, reported by Robotics Business News.
What We Don’t Know
Pudu’s launch materials did not disclose a price for the D7, nor did they name specific customers or committed deployment volumes for the new robot. The announcement also did not provide independently verified throughput figures or third-party benchmarks demonstrating the D7 operating on a live production line, leaving its real-world performance against rivals such as Tesla’s Optimus and Figure AI’s humanoids an open question at launch.