The Chinese startup Zeroth Robotics just emerged from stealth with an aggressive push into the US market with its AI-powered robots for consumers.
Launched in December 2024, the startup made its North American debut at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Zeroth is headquartered in Suzhou, a consumer robotics hub. Its executive team’s background is almost exclusively rooted in robot vacuums. Founder and CEO Guo Renjie previously served as president of leading robotic vacuum maker Dreame China, while COO Wang Hui and CTO Tang Jinju spent the majority of their careers at another category leader, ECOVACS.
Zeroth is known as Suzhou JoyIn Intelligent Technology in China. The name refers to the starting point before an initial step. In Zeroth’s case, that means they see themselves as leading a foundational moment toward the next wave of physical automation. With $70 million dollars in early funding, the relatively small team wants to beat heavyweights in the US like Tesla, Figure, and 1X Technologies to mass deployment on their own soil.
Zeroth has opened pre orders for its diverse lineup.
Its most affordable offering is the Zeroth M1, a desktop humanoid assistant and interactive companion. Priced at $2,400, the mini robot stands about 49 cm (19 inches). Zeroth likens the robot to a living intelligence that grows with its owner. Though it’s no help at domestic chores, its developers say it’s suited for social support, eldercare cues, and creative projects.
The Zeroth W1 is a wheeled WALL-E inspired robot priced at $5,000. It’s designed to autonomously navigate grass, gravel, pavement, and indoor surfaces while towing loads exceeding 50 kg (110 lbs). The startup says it built the robot for both home and light commercial support use cases.
Zeroth’s full-sized robotic humanoid is named Jupiter. The company calls it a compact-yet-capable humanoid for real-world use. Standing 165 cm (5 feet 5 inches), it’s intended for dynamic settings like homes and shared spaces. According to Zeroth, the humanoid can move around autonomously with the option for remote teleoperation.
Jupiter has five-fingered end effectors for common household chores, though its $90,000 price tag suits it more for commercial and research use cases. Like the other models, Jupiter is expected to start shipping around mid-April 2026.
Zeroth’s robots are powered by its self-developed world model, called Zeroth World. The company says the AI system is continuously updated so the robots can adapt to the messy realities of daily life.