Over 20 Robotics Companies Turn to Underwater Operations, Diverging Project-Based Delivery Logic from Humanoid Shipping Narratives

The article reviews the commercialization paths of over 20 underwater robotics companies, noting that their core is selling work orders rather than hardware, with customers paying based on sea trial passage and operational results. Shihang Intelligence completed an A round of over 1 billion yuan in June 2026, with orders exceeding 1 billion yuan in the first half of the year, and launched a full-ocean-depth platform from 0 to 10,000 meters and the registered "Cangqiong" ocean embodied model. The article analyzes three tracks—work-class ROVs, ship cleaning, and scientific research inspection—and mentions incremental space in Middle East and African markets with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 14%.