Technical advance

KEENON makes the case for its “general-purpose + specialized” strategy

KEENON Robotics, the world's No. 1 commercial service robot vendor (IDC), outlines its strategy and its KOM 3.0 AI in Shanghai and Macau.

September 21, 2026 · 6 min read

KEENON humanoid robot in stage lighting, against a dark background with purple neon lights — Photo credit: KEENON Robotics

Introduction

In early September 2026, within forty-eight hours, KEENON Robotics went from the stage of CCTV Finance in Shanghai to the podium of an executive forum in Macau. On September 8, COO Bin Wan debated general-purpose robotics with UBTECH and AgiBot at the first Fortune Leaders Forum. Two days later, four of the Chinese manufacturer's XMAN-L1 humanoids opened a CCTV Finance event during the Inclusion Conference on the Bund. These appearances, publicized by the company on September 19, carry the same message: embodied robotics must be measured by its ability to generate real revenue, not just to impress on stage. They offer a snapshot of the strategy of a company that claims the world's top spot in commercial service robot shipments according to IDC (2025), with more than 100,000 robots delivered in over 600 cities and 70 countries.

Key takeaways

World No. 1 in commercial service robot shipments according to IDC (2025): more than 100,000 robots delivered in 600+ cities and 70+ countries.
September 8: COO Bin Wan opens the first Fortune Leaders Forum in Macau (~300 executives), alongside UBTECH Robotics and AgiBot.
September 10: four XMAN-L1 humanoids perform at a CCTV Finance event during the Inclusion Conference on the Bund in Shanghai; CEO Li Tong takes part in a high-level dialogue.
The proprietary KOM 3.0 AI, the service sector's first vision-language-action architecture with a "world model".
Flagship use case: the Shangri-La Traders hotel in Shanghai, where humanoids and specialized robots work side by side every day.

Macau, September 8: "a general-purpose robot is the outcome, not the starting point"

The Fortune Leaders Forum, held for the first time at the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort in Macau, brought together around 300 executives to discuss embodied AI. Bin Wan, KEENON's COO, shared the opening panel with Jianxin Pang (VP of UBTECH Robotics) and Maoqing Yao (co-founder of AgiBot). Bin Wan's words sum up the company's line: "A general-purpose robot is the outcome, not the starting point. The first questions should be: where will it work, what will it do, and how will it do it?" Yao stressed how important real-world deployment is for generating training data.

Shanghai, September 10: the XMAN-L1 on the CCTV Finance stage

Two days later, as part of the 2026 Inclusion Conference on the Bund, China Media Group staged a CCTV Finance event blending technology with traditional Chinese aesthetics. Four XMAN-L1 humanoids delivered a performance called "Cyber Stage", bringing together KEENON's robots, an AI music generation model from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a computing platform from BIRENTECH. The exercise was designed to showcase the XMAN-L1's motion control and multi-robot coordination. The XMAN-L1 is a compact humanoid also positioned for everyday commercial uses such as brand activations, shopping centers and restaurants.

Li Tong, founder and CEO, then joined a dialogue with experts from Tsinghua University, the University of Hong Kong, Nanyang Technological University and the ZhenFund venture fund: "Embodied intelligence companies need patient capital because research and development require long-term investment. At the same time, companies cannot focus only on technology. They must connect technology with real business applications and generate sustainable returns. Commercialization must be considered from the very beginning." Li Tong added that the industry should take an objective view of AI, neither overestimating nor underestimating its capabilities.

KOM 3.0: betting on "thinking before acting"

These appearances build on an earlier technical announcement: the launch of KOM 3.0, unveiled on September 1 at the World Robot Conference in Beijing. KEENON presents it as the service sector's first vision-language-action (VLA) architecture with a latent-space "world model". The robot understands an instruction and its environment, carries out the task, and anticipates the outcome before actually acting, rather than relying on trial and error, for long tasks coordinated across several robots. At WRC 2026, KEENON demonstrated the technology in several scenarios: a coffee kiosk where the XMAN-R1 plays barista, a dessert shop, a retail store and a laundry room where humanoids coordinated with specialized robots such as the T10 (delivery) and the C40 (cleaning). According to Li Tong, whether robots can genuinely perform useful work is central to the commercialization of humanoid robots.

Proof through use: the Shangri-La Traders hotel in Shanghai

KEENON's "general-purpose + specialized" message rests on a tangible use case that the company regularly cites: its deployment at the Shangri-La Traders hotel in Shanghai, presented as the world's first hotel where humanoids and specialized robots collaborate every day. The XMAN-R1 handles guest reception while a specialized fleet takes care of standardized tasks: T10 and T3 robots in the restaurant, the W3 on the guest floors, the C40 for cleaning and the S100 for heavy loads. This division of roles sums up KEENON's core argument: profitability depends on reliably executing well-defined tasks, more than on the spectacular versatility of a standalone humanoid.

Why this sequence matters for the industry

These back-to-back appearances come as the Chinese market for humanoid service robots grows more crowded, with UBTECH, AgiBot, Unitree and Pudu Robotics also stepping up their announcements. KEENON's position, emphasizing profitability and real-world deployment over technical prowess alone, speaks to investors as much as to potential customers, at a stage when the "patient capital" Li Tong called for remains a condition of survival for most players. For distributors, hoteliers and retail operators considering service robots, the message is consistent with a broader trend: the question is no longer "which robot is the most impressive?" but "which combination of general-purpose and specialized robots best meets my needs?"

Frequently asked questions

Where does KEENON Robotics rank in the global service robot market?

World No. 1 in commercial service robot shipments according to IDC (2025), with more than 100,000 robots delivered in over 600 cities and 70 countries.

What is KEENON Robotics' KOM 3.0?

The service sector's first vision-language-action (VLA) architecture with a latent-space world model, which lets robots anticipate the outcome of an action before carrying it out.

What happened at the 2026 Inclusion Conference on the Bund?

On September 10, 2026, four XMAN-L1 humanoids performed at a CCTV Finance event organized by China Media Group in Shanghai, followed by a dialogue on embodied intelligence with CEO Li Tong.

What concrete example illustrates KEENON's "general-purpose + specialized" strategy?

The Shangri-La Traders hotel in Shanghai, where the XMAN-R1 handles guest reception while a specialized fleet (delivery, cleaning, heavy-load transport) takes care of operational tasks.

Conclusion

Within a few days, KEENON Robotics went from a strategy panel in Macau to a technological and cultural showcase in Shanghai, with a common thread: turning an industrial lead into a credible commercialization story. The KOM 3.0 bet and the Shangri-La case show a company seeking to position itself as an integrator of mixed fleets rather than a supplier of spectacular demos. It remains to be seen whether new contracts outside China will confirm this shift, as UBTECH, AgiBot, Pudu Robotics and Unitree also step up their international presence.

For businesses in France weighing a hotel robot project, Elio Robot, a multi-brand integrator, compares models from several manufacturers before recommending one.

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