China’s Ship-Hull Cleaning Robot Targets High-Altitude Market

RobotPlusPlus, a robotics supplier based in Zhejiang, has introduced an autonomous climbing robot designed to clean and descale the hulls of large ships. The system is marketed as a safer alternative to manual labor and is intended for vessels of 100,000 deadweight tonnes and above, which typically stand more than 21 metres (68.9 feet) high and stretch about 250 metres (820 feet) in length.

South China Morning Post

The industrial-robot market for manufacturers is described as “cutthroat,” while the aerial-robot segment is dominated by DJI. Xu Huayang, the founder of RobotPlusPlus, told Shanghai-based business media China Venture on July 21 that the underwater-robot outlook remains unclear, leaving the “working-at-height” segment—where demand is strong but mature products are scarce—as the company’s focus.

South China Morning Post

RobotPlusPlus reports that its flagship system can cover more than 98 percent of a vessel’s hull. Compared with manual cleaning, the robot purportedly increases efficiency fivefold and reduces costs by 30 percent to 50 percent. The company argues that these gains could extend a ship’s service life, though independent verification is not provided.

South China Morning Post

In the same interview, Xu emphasized that the aerial-robot market’s dominance by DJI and the uncertain outlook for underwater robots shape RobotPlusPlus’s strategy to concentrate on high-altitude applications. He positioned the climbing robot as a response to a market gap rather than a direct challenge to existing competitors.

South China Morning Post

If the robot’s efficiency and cost-saving claims hold, ship operators may adopt the technology to lower maintenance expenses and improve safety. The move also signals a shift in China’s robotics sector toward niche, high-altitude solutions as broader industrial-robot markets become saturated.

South China Morning Post