Chip startup Xinyang Micro raises $1.6M to give pool robots underwater “eyes”
What's the deal? Xinyang Micro, an underwater sensing chip startup founded by a former Ecovacs employee, has raised 11 million CNY (roughly $1.6 million) in an angel round. Peak VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Infini CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → backed the deal, announced in August 2026. The funds will mainly go toward team building and talent development.
What's the endgame? The company builds acoustic perception modules — not single chips — combining a CMUT (Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer) array, an ASIC chip, and software. It is starting with swimming pool cleaning robots, then aims to expand CMUT from medical ultrasound into underwater embodied intelligence more broadly.
Why now? As underwater robots shift from remote control to autonomous operation, perception has become a technical bottleneck. Water turbidity and particles degrade cameras and lasers, so ultrasound is emerging as the key detection route.
Why CMUT? Traditional piezoelectric ceramic transducers deliver high power and suit long-range sonar, but struggle with the miniaturisation and high-density arrays robots need. Xinyang Micro uses MEMS semiconductor technology to build micro diaphragms on wafers, arranged into dense phased arrays for near-field 3D acoustic imaging within about 0 to 20 metres of the robot.
Why pool robots first? Founder Cao Jinlong said many current pool robots rely on gyroscopes, single-point ultrasound, or vision-assisted positioning. "The robot can move, but it is difficult to accurately know which areas have been cleaned and which have not," he told 36Kr. The company says its module lifts cleaning coverage above 95%.
The market is sizeable. CIC Consulting counts about 34.1 million swimming pools worldwide in 2025, with annual pool cleaning robot shipments of roughly 4.9 million units — expected to reach 7 million by 2030. Global retail sales of pool robots hit about $2.8 billion in 2025, a segment where many players are Chinese firms.
The signal: Xinyang Micro is betting that acoustic imaging becomes standard hardware as underwater robots go autonomous. With the broader underwater robot market projected to grow from $5.82 billion in 2025 to $19.66 billion by 2034, a consumer beachhead like pool cleaning offers a route to scale before tackling harder marine applications.
Read more: 36Kr
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
