// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Orbbec a sphere of influence?
 | |
Native name | 奥比中光科技集团股份有限公司 |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Industry | AI vision and 3D sensing |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Global |
Key people | Howard Huang (Founder, Chairman, and CEO) |
| Products | List
|
| Revenue | CN¥941 million (2025); CN¥203 million (2026 Q1) |
| Total equity | CN¥35 billion |
Number of employees | 888 [1] |
| Website | www |
Orbbec (officially Orbbec Inc.) is a Chinese technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of 3D vision sensors, AI algorithms, and visual perception solutions. Founded in 2013[2] and headquartered in Shenzhen, China,[3] with significant operations in Troy, Michigan,[2] the company produces a wide range of hardware including structured light, Time of Flight (ToF), LiDAR, and stereo vision cameras.[4] Its technology is widely integrated into diverse industries such as robotics, logistics, healthcare, and retail[5] to enable advanced spatial mapping and human-machine interaction.
History
[edit]Howard Huang, an engineer working in postdoctoral academic research, founded Orbbec in 2013 with hopes of extending his research into real-world applications.[6] Now in his forties, Huang is the company's largest shareholder, with 27% ownership of the multi-billion dollar firm.[6]
The company's initial success came in 2017 when it signed a deal with Ant Group to integrate its 3D vision cameras into a facial recognition system for payment transactions with Alipay.[6] In 2018, the company secured a deal with Chinese maker of smartphones Oppo to enable the first Android with 3D facial recognition for biometric authentication.[6]
In 2025, Orbbec received some attention for its role in providing the "eyes" in a bipedal robot called Tien Kung Ultra, which won a 100-meter race against many other robotic competitors at the World Humanoid Robot Games.[7] The company is projected to expand significantly in the global robotics market, with the first nine months of 2025 transitioning to a $9.8 million net profit, after the previous year of more-than-equivalent losses.[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Orbbec Inc. (688322) Company Information". Simply Wall St. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Orbbec designs Gemini 435Le to help robots see farther, navigate smarter". The Robot Report. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ↑ "Shenzhen developing into high-tech hub". The Star. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ↑ "Orbbec touts Pulsar ME450 as a multi-pattern 3D lidar". The Robot Report. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- ↑ Chowdhry, Amit (16 April 2026). "Thoro: CoreFlex Autonomous Platform Unveiled With Orbbec Partnership To Scale Industrial Automation". Pulse 2.0. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Lee, Zinnia (18 September 2025). "China's AI Robot Craze Turns Founder Of 3D Vision Camera Maker Into Billionaire". Forbes. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
- 1 2 Lee, Zinnia (12 February 2026). "How A Chinese Engineer Became A Billionaire Making Robotic "Eyes"". Forbes. Retrieved 23 May 2026.