What EngineAI Is and Whether It's Real

EngineAI is a legitimate robotics firm legally registered as ENGINEAI Robotics Technology Co., Ltd., operating from headquarters in Shenzhen, China. EngineAI's corporate timeline dates its establishment to 7 October 2023. In China, EngineAI operates under the Chinese brand name 众擎机器人, while its English web presence also uses Zhongqing Robotics. EngineAI opened a second site in Hefei in December 2024.

Online questions asking if EngineAI is real or fake stem from EngineAI's own stunt videos. Physical units have appeared publicly at trade shows, including the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2025 and 2026. EngineAI says PM01 gave a demonstration for Premier Li Qiang during his January 3 to 5, 2026 inspection tour in Shenzhen.

Do not confuse EngineAI with engineai.com, which belongs to an unrelated capital-markets artificial intelligence firm. EngineAI's own robot sites are engineai.com.cn and en.engineai.com.cn. Readers exploring bipedal hardware builders can consult our robotics companies directory.

The Robot Lineup

The EngineAI product catalog spans bipedal humanoids and a quadruped. Official navigation listings highlight the PM01, T800, JS01, SE01, and S2 platforms, alongside the earlier SA01 bipedal base. SA01 launched in July 2024 featuring 12 degrees of freedom (DoF) and a 15 ampere-hour (Ah) lithium battery. S2 represents a service robot concept unveiled in July 2024, though its official product page publishes no mechanical specifications.

The SE01 full-size humanoid debuted on 24 October 2024. EngineAI lists SE01 with a height of 170 cm, 32 total DoF, a 2-metre-per-second walking speed, 6-DoF dexterous hands, and a two-hour operating runtime. In August 2025 at the World Robot Conference, EngineAI introduced the JS01 quadruped, termed a robotic leopard. JS01 carries loads up to 80 kg, moves at 3 metres per second, and uses a 10,000 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery.

PM01's height differs across EngineAI's own pages: the homepage lists 138 cm, while the 2026 Education Edition table lists 1,400 mm. That table also lists about 44.0 kg with battery, 24 DoF, 164 newton-metres (N·m) maximum torque and an NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX 16G computer. See our EngineAI T800 review.

ModelTypePublished Height, Weight, and DoFPrice StatusSource
SA01Bipedal base12 DoF (height and weight not published)Price not publishedEngineAI homepage and process timeline
SE01Full-size humanoid170 cm, 32 DoF (weight not published)Price not publishedEngineAI SE01 product page
PM01Open-source humanoidContested: 138 cm vs 1,400 mm; approx. 44 kg; 24 DoFPrice not publishedEngineAI PM01 product page
JS01QuadrupedQuadruped chassis, 80 kg payload capacityPrice not publishedEngineAI JS01 product page
T800Full-size humanoid173 cm, 75 to 85 kg by configurationStarting price 180,000 yuan at launchEngineAI T800 product page and release
S2Service robotSpecifications not published (page lists stay tuned)Price not publishedEngineAI S2 product page

CEO Zhao Tongyang and Stunt Demonstrations

Zhao Tongyang serves as the founder and chief executive officer of EngineAI. Before founding EngineAI, Zhao founded Dogotix and led the humanoid robotics program at electric vehicle maker XPeng, according to a Shenzhen government article. EngineAI statements claim that research and development personnel account for 70 percent of the corporate workforce, with 35 percent holding doctoral or master's degrees.

In December 2025, EngineAI released a video of a T800 knocking down CEO Zhao Tongyang, who wore protective padding, Interesting Engineering reported.

On 23 February 2025, EngineAI announced that PM01 completed the world's first humanoid front flip. PM01 hosted the Top Ten Government Initiatives Awards Ceremony 2025 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 29 January 2026.

The CGI Debate

EngineAI faced rumors and debate over whether its footage used CGI. Early video releases explicitly stated the clips used no computer-generated imagery, no artificial intelligence manipulation, and no video speed-up.

On 3 December 2025, EngineAI responded by publishing behind-the-scenes production footage titled Setting the Record Straight on CGI Rumors.

EngineAI publishes PM01's open-source training and Robot Operating System (ROS) deployment code in the public engineai_ros2_workspace repository under a BSD-3-Clause license.

Combat Tournaments and the REK Cage Match

Around February 2026, EngineAI introduced the Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL) in Shenzhen, billing the tournament as a commercial humanoid fighting league featuring a championship belt valued at 10 million Chinese yuan (approximately 1.44 million United States dollars). The event took place at the Shenzhen Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center.

URKL participation figures vary across reporting outlets. Yicai reported 16 teams in February 2026, while PC Guide reported 32 qualified teams by July 2026. Every URKL team used the EngineAI T800 as a standard hardware platform. During the event, an EngineAI T800 continued fighting after its head was kicked off.

On 18 September 2026, REK staged a cage match in San Francisco between a human fighter and an EngineAI T800 teleoperated by a human pilot, Interesting Engineering reported. Context on competitive robotics matches appears in our analysis of human vs robot fighting.

EngineAI's Investors and Factory Sites

EngineAI is a privately held startup and is not listed on any public stock exchange. In June 2026, Bloomberg reported, via The Next Web, that EngineAI filed a confidential initial public offering (IPO) application in Hong Kong, with China International Capital Corporation (CICC) and Citic Securities acting as joint advisers. Listing size and schedule were undecided, and EngineAI has not published revenue, profit, or prospectus documentation.

EngineAI completed Pre-A++ and A1 rounds in July 2025 totaling nearly 1 billion yuan. XPeng-backed Rockets Capital led Pre-A++ and JD.com led A1, alongside CATL Capital, Yintai Group, TH Capital, Guochen Venture Capital, and Huangpu River Capital. In January 2026, EngineAI announced A1+ and A2 rounds, with A2 led by Huangpu River Capital. The Next Web, citing reports, said EngineAI raised a $200 million Series B in April 2026 that lifted its valuation above 10 billion yuan; EngineAI has not published a statement on it.

The size of EngineAI's Shenzhen factory differs across its own announcements. EngineAI's news from January 2026 described a 9,000-square-metre facility in Xili Honghualing, while its May 2026 news lists a 12,000-square-metre base. EngineAI says that base builds one humanoid every 15 minutes, and each unit passes 79 quality inspections and 46 condition tests before delivery. EngineAI also initiated planning for a 10,000-unit-level global manufacturing base in Zhengzhou, Henan.

Purchasing EngineAI Hardware Outside China

At the time of writing, EngineAI has not published international export pricing, shipping procedures, overseas warranty coverage, or localized maintenance networks. EngineAI's T800 launch announcement lists Basic, Eco/Open-Source, Pro, and Max editions from 180,000 yuan at the time of writing. EngineAI's product pages show no price for PM01, SE01, or JS01.

In November 2025, EngineAI established what it described as the world's first retail store with cyber staff in the Futian District of Shenzhen, partnering with JD.com and Shum Yip. Buyers tracking industrial hardware can examine alternatives in our guide to Chinese humanoid robots.

Store details are published on the EngineAI official store portal. See our EngineAI vs Unitree comparison.

Bottom Line

The next public marker is EngineAI's Hong Kong listing: The Next Web reported a confidential filing in June 2026, with size and timing undecided.

See our Chinese humanoid robots buying guide.

FAQs

Is EngineAI a real company?

Yes, EngineAI is a real robotics firm incorporated as ENGINEAI Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. EngineAI was founded in October 2023 in Shenzhen, China. EngineAI runs a factory in Shenzhen, builds the PM01 and T800 humanoids, and has demonstrated hardware publicly at international events like CES.

Who is the CEO of EngineAI?

Zhao Tongyang is the founder and chief executive officer of EngineAI. Before establishing EngineAI in 2023, Zhao founded Dogotix and previously led the humanoid development division at electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng.

Did the EngineAI robot really kick its CEO?

Yes, in December 2025 EngineAI released a demonstration video showing a T800 humanoid robot kicking founder and CEO Zhao Tongyang. Zhao wore protective body padding and was knocked down by the robot.

Is EngineAI a public company?

No, EngineAI is not a publicly traded company. In June 2026, Bloomberg reported (via The Next Web) that EngineAI filed a confidential application for an initial public offering in Hong Kong with CICC and Citic Securities, but no public shares, ticker, or prospectus exist today.

What robots does EngineAI make?

EngineAI manufactures the PM01 open-source humanoid, the full-size SE01 humanoid, the T800 humanoid, the JS01 quadruped, and the SA01 bipedal chassis. It also unveiled a service robot concept called S2.

How much does an EngineAI robot cost?

The EngineAI T800 launched with an announced starting price of 180,000 yuan at the time of writing. Official prices for the PM01, SE01, JS01, and SA01 platforms are not published on EngineAI's product pages.

Primary Sources