Pool robots power Tianjin's exports

Tianjin's export value of robotic products in the first half reached 1.08 billion yuan ($159 million), marking a year-on-year growth of 487.9 percent, said Tianjin Customs.

Among them, wireless pool-cleaning robots independently developed by Tianjin-based Wybot were exported to over 60 countries and regions. These robots can clean a swimming pool and enhance water quality in just five minutes.

"For a long time, the global market for pool-cleaning robots has been dominated by brands from Europe and the United States," said Zhao Fengjiao, secretary-general of the Tianjin Robotics Industry Association, adding that 97 percent of Wybot's pool-cleaning robots are exported.

"Wireless technology is the core direction for industry upgrades. With its self-developed underwater artificial intelligence and 3D mapping technologies, Wybot has leveraged its technical strengths to become a leader in this field, representing a shift for Chinese home intelligent equipment from contract manufacturing to technological innovation," Zhao said.

Traditional pool-cleaning robots in overseas markets typically come with 18-meter-long cables, which often tangle and knot during use. A complete cleaning session takes one to two hours and requires repeated manual operation, making the task time-consuming and labor-intensive.

"The major pain points of traditional wired devices abroad are evident, and we firmly believe that domestic enterprises have the capacity to achieve critical technological breakthroughs," said Fu Guilan, chairwoman of Wybot.

Fu said her team has spent years focusing on wireless solutions to tackle the fundamental issue of cable entanglement — a persistent challenge in the industry.

Zhang Wei, head of the E-commerce Division at the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said that while the domestic market for private pools is relatively limited, there is significant demand for pool-cleaning solutions in markets across Europe, the US and Australia.

The high international market share of wireless pool-cleaning robots demonstrates how Chinese enterprises can address the real needs of households overseas with innovative research and development, thereby improving quality of life. This represents a prime example of how China's scientific breakthroughs can meet global home improvement needs, Zhang said.

Last year, the State Council issued "Opinions on Deepening the Implementation of the AI+ Initiative", explicitly emphasizing the development of next-generation intelligent devices, including smart robots and smart home appliances.

As one of the earliest domestic companies to invest in the pool-cleaning robot sector, Wybot has also independently developed underwater AI-based visual recognition, 3D mapping and automatic charging stations.

These innovations enable the robot to intelligently identify various debris and dirt in the pool and quickly perform targeted cleaning, significantly enhancing cleaning efficiency.

"Chinese companies have never shied away from competition," said Zhang Minghao, product director at Neoroc IOT Technologies Co.

"With a strong cost-effectiveness advantage, Chinese enterprises thrive in even the most competitive environments, continually gaining experience and honing survival skills," he said.

Xu He and Feng Siyu contributed to this story.