Recently, Hong Kong-listed company SHOUGANG CENT (103.HK) announced in a voluntary announcement that its Singapore joint venture, EASTERN CENTURY INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., will establish a company focused on super materials, significantly enhancing its layout in the robotics tendon industry chain.

SHOUGANG CENT has long been engaged in steel cord production, leveraging refined processes and a global strategy to become an international premium steel cord supplier. In recent years, the company has been actively pursuing industrial transformation and technological upgrades, with "technology empowerment" as its strategic core, and is seeking a second growth curve.

The establishment of the super materials company under the joint venture is built upon SHOUGANG CENT's years of experience in metallic materials, extending to high-end applications such as micro fibers and micro ropes. SHOUGANG CENT’s interest in the robotics industry is driven by the commonality between the steel cord process and robotics tendon technology, as well as the resources of the robotics industry within its affiliated company, SHOUCHENG HOLDINGS.

This acceleration in layout is a result of collaboration and communication with domestic leading AI robotics company, Stardust Intelligence, aimed at jointly driving the development of industry standards and key material definitions for emerging fields such as robotics tendons. Founded in 2022, Stardust Intelligence is a pioneer in rope-driven AI robotics and the first to mass produce such robots. The company has developed an industry-leading "body-data-model" full-stack closed-loop system and intends to provide AI robotic assistants to billions of users, driven by a vision from its founding team with backgrounds in Tencent's Robotics X.

In August 2024, Stardust Intelligence launched its next-generation AI robotic assistant, Astribot S1, at the World Robotics Conference. This product, based on the “Design for AI” philosophy and unique rope-driven design, excels in complex tasks such as ironing, sorting items, cooking, and vacuuming, gaining significant attention from the industry. In November of the same year, it established a strategic partnership with global leading embodied intelligence firm Physical Intelligence to enhance deep collaboration on data and models, accelerating the application of general AI in the physical world.

The Astribot S1 has been deployed across various sectors, including research, commercial services, entertainment, and industrial manufacturing, supporting the contextual application and commercialization of the robotics industry. As of April 2025, Stardust Intelligence completed multiple financing rounds, raising hundreds of millions of RMB from renowned investors including Matrix Partners, Daotong Investment, Jinqiu Capital, Ant Group, and Yunqi Capital.

Why Rope-Driven Systems Are the “New Muscles” in Robotics The transmission system of robots is crucial as it converts motor power into joint movements, forming the core link between drive and execution, thereby determining the robot's motion performance. The three main transmission methods in use today include joint direct drive, pushrod transmission, and tendon-driven (rope-driven) transmission.

Joint direct drive systems place the motor and gearbox directly at the joint's rotation center, resulting in a short power transfer path, high precision, and quick response, but they tend to be heavy and less energy-efficient.

Pushrod transmission uses a retractable pushrod to connect adjacent rods, driving the joint motion. While its structure is mature and manufacturing is straightforward, it suffers from increased weight and decreased joint flexibility and impact resistance.

In contrast, tendon-driven transmission mimics the flexible mechanism of human tendons, using motors to pull tendons around the joint axis to achieve coordinated multi-joint actuation. Under similar volume and weight constraints, tendon-driven systems offer higher output efficiency and better compliance, and they can absorb shocks while reducing the size of the end components, enhancing safety and light structuring.

As industry demands for flexibility, safety, and lightweight designs continue to increase, tendon-driven transmission has gradually emerged as a key direction for robotics development. Stardust Intelligence was the first to adopt this system in its Astribot series of robots, achieving a balance between high dynamic response and human safety, while continuously accumulating practical experience in "rigid-flexible coupling drive" technology.

The High Potential of Tendon Materials The selection of tendon materials in robotic systems directly affects operational precision and durability. While polymer materials boast high strength and low density, they face challenges like poor creep resistance and thermal instability. For instance, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) demonstrates considerable creep when subjected to loads below 20% of its breaking load capacity over seven days.

Metal materials, however, show significant advantages, as they maintain lower creep rates even under greater loads (70% for seven days) and exhibit excellent durability under high temperatures.

As material selection and production processes improve, the market potential for metal tendon materials is expected to grow significantly. Currently, SHOUGANG CENT has successfully developed various tendon material solutions, including stainless steel, high-carbon steel, and tungsten steel, offering customizable products that meet diverse needs for both large tendons required for robot bodies and high-strength, fine tendons for dexterous hands.

SHOUGANG CENT provides a total of 57 structural specifications for body tendons, with diameters ranging from 0.46mm to 3.24mm and breaking strengths peaking at 6500MPa. Furthermore, it offers 12 specifications for dexterous hand tendons, with diameters from 0.155mm to 1.80mm.

With a strategic partnership with Stardust Intelligence, SHOUGANG CENT is set to refine customer needs and technical standards, offering diversified and personalized product solutions. As a materials manufacturer transitioning from steel cord to robotics tendons, SHOUGANG CENT is confident in exploring this field and is strategically investing resources into robotics tendons, supporting exploration and development in the industry.

As the robotics industry continues to advance alongside new material technologies, the company believes this will create new development opportunities and value release potential throughout the supply chain.