IAT Automobile Technology Co, Ltd, an enterprise located in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town), recently reached a cooperation agreement with Huayu Yuntong Marine Technology (Shandong) Co, Ltd. The two parties will collaborate on innovation in underwater intelligent inspection and cleaning robot technology, product upgrades and other aspects to jointly build an innovative ecosystem of "AI + Robots".

IAT, an automotive design and research enterprise with technological and engineering innovation as its core competitiveness, established the AI Robotics Division in March 2024, aiming to transform experience automotive design into an innovative driving force in the robotics industry.

"The underwater robot project in this cooperation is an important practice for us to explore the 'automotive technology transfer + AI empowerment' model," said Liu Yabin, IAT’s vice-president and head of the AI Robotics Division. “This project relies on the NVIDIA Omniverse platform to build a digital twin system for robot development, transferring the accumulated capabilities in styling design, engineering design, performance simulation, and modularization from the automotive field to the robot development process, providing a more efficient and intelligent solution for the ship cleaning and inspection industry.”

In the specific research and development process of underwater robots, IAT has fully utilized its advantageous position in the global advanced manufacturing supply chain, integrating resources from automotive component suppliers to accelerate the customization development process of robot core components. At the same time, IAT has integrated its experience in automotive vehicle design into the field of robotics, providing strong support for the integrated design of electromechanical systems in robots, including styling design optimization, product performance enhancement and lightweight design.

The project has conducted empirical cleaning service tests on yachts, small and medium-sized civilian ships and large ocean-going vessels at marine ports and inland docks. In complex conditions of seawater and freshwater, intelligent robots are functioning normally. Compared with traditional cleaning capabilities, significant improvements have been made in terms of safety operations, cleaning effectiveness and work efficiency.