On 16 June, Openmind (Wuhu) Intelligent Robotics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Openmind”), a subsidiary of Efort, and Wuhu Rhinorobo Robotics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Rhinorobo”) formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Wuhu. The ceremony was attended and witnessed by members of both companies core teams, including You Wei, Chairman and General Manager ofOpenmind, and Xu Yong, Chairman and General Manager of Rhinorobo. In addition to signing the ‘Strategic Cooperation Agreement’, the two parties also simultaneously signed the ‘Joint Development Agreement for the First Phase of Compound Robots’, establishing a two-tiered advancement mechanism of ‘strategy for the long term, phased implementation to ensure delivery’. This marks the formal transition of Openmind’s general-purpose technology foundation from the platform-building stage to a new phase of engineering validation within the PCB vertical application.
About the two parties
Openmind (Wuhu) Intelligent Robotics Co., Ltd. was jointly established in 2024 by Efort Intelligent Robotics Co., Ltd., in partnership with the National Advanced Manufacturing Industry Investment Fund and the Wuhu Science and Technology Innovation Group. Adhering to the “Openmind”philosophy, the company focuses on the research, development and industrialization of a universal technology foundation for intelligent robots. Through OpenmindOS, the ModouIDE and the Dayan Data Platform, it decouples complex capabilities into standardized atomic skills and open interfaces, striving to lower the barriers to robot adoption and empower the intelligent upgrading of industries across the board.
Wuhu Rhinorobo Robotics Co., Ltd. was founded by Xu Yong. Its core team hails from the Shizhigao organisation, which has specialised in the PCB automation sector for many years, and possesses extensive industry expertise in PCB manufacturing processes, material flow and production line time constraints. The company is currently transitioning from a supplier of PCB automation equipment to a systems solutions provider specializing in “embodied intelligence + industrial applications”. Its new factory in Wuhu, serving as both its global headquarters and smart manufacturing base, is set to commence production shortly, providing the production capacity required to support future large-scale deliveries.
Strategic synergy
Openmind standardized Smart Base × Rhinorobo PCB Process
This collaboration is based on the deep integration of both parties’ core capabilities. Openmind as the core carrier of Efort intelligent strategy, is committed to developing standardized composite robot products tailored to key vertical industries. Openmind’s universal intelligent robotics technology platform empowers composite robots through its ecosystem,utilizing an integrated ‘brain-eye-hand-foot’ collaborative design and control architecture, it deeply encapsulates core capabilities such as mobility, perception, manipulation and anomaly handling, whilst abstracting standardizedcalling interfaces and tool-chains to support the agile development and rapid deployment of scenario-based applications. Rhinorobo has had deep roots on the front lines of the PCB industry and possesses the ability to break down complex end-user production processes into standardizedprocedures and steps, thereby defining high-value, essential application scenarios.
In other words, Openmind provides standardized composite robot platforms equipped with general-purpose intelligence, whilst Rhinorobo, drawing on its in-depth understanding of PCB processes, develops supporting equipment and adapts processes around these platforms, ultimately forming solutions tailored to specific application scenarios. By joining forces, the two companies deeply integrate the general-purpose technology foundation into the practical pain points of PCB production lines, establishing a complete pathway from technical validation to mass production in this specializedsector.
Going deeper
Tackling the closed-loop engineering process in PCB manufacturing
The challenges of automation in the PCB industry do not lie in the complexity of individual actions, but rather in the system’s characteristics: high variability, a lengthy process chain, and the difficulty of coordinating cycle times. The diverse forms and wide range of dimensions of materials, coupled with tightly sequenced processes and frequent line changes, make it difficult for traditional fixed-station automation to balance flexibility and precision. This is particularly true in integrated ‘movement and operation’ processes—such as handling, loading and unloading, and inter-process transfers—where there are severe challenges in terms of coordinated control and high stability requirements.
The strategic focus of this collaboration lies in establishing an engineered closed-loop system tailored to PCB scenarios, rather than remaining at the level of a technical demonstration. Openmind leverages a universal technology foundation to provide standardized interfaces and development tools, thereby lowering the barriers to multi-robot coordination and process integration; meanwhile, Rhinorobo translates the stringent cycle time and process constraints of PCB production environments into executable task chains and validation rules, ensuring that composite robots operate continuously and stably in real production line environments. This initiative aims to propel composite robots from being merely ‘technologically viable’ to being ‘practically suitable for the PCB industry’, thereby establishing a replicable industry application paradigm.
Open base
Building an intelligent robot industry ecosystem
For Openmind, this agreement represents a practical step in responding to the ‘AI+’ initiative and deepening its engagement in vertical industries. Openmind is committed to an open ecosystem, making its underlying capabilities available to partners and driving the transformation of fragmented process knowledge into reusable, standardized applications; while Rhinorobo uses real-world data and feedback from PCB production sites to inform platform iterations, creating a virtuous cycle of ‘application—data—algorithm optimization that drives the efficient penetration of intelligent capabilities throughout the industrial chain.
At a time when the embodied intelligence industry is developing at an accelerated pace, core competitiveness has shifted from breakthroughs in individual technical metrics to the construction of replicable, industrial-grade intelligent infrastructure. With a general-purpose technology foundation at its core, Openmind is joining forces with vertical industry partners such as Rhinorobo to bridge the ‘last metre’ between technology and application.
We look forward to our joint efforts enabling composite robots equipped with the Openmind Brain to become the intelligent infrastructure that reshapes productivity in PCB manufacturing and other specialized manufacturing sectors, thereby allowing embodied intelligence technology to permeate every niche sector across a wide range of industries.
