Why are tennis-playing robots causing a stir in the tech industry?

A humanoid robot running back and forth on a tennis court, swinging and hitting the ball, has gone viral in the global tech community.

On the tennis court, the ball’s trajectory changes rapidly, and the landing points are unpredictable. The robot uses vision to capture the ball’s path, calculating the landing point and force in milliseconds, then moving, swinging, and hitting in one seamless motion.

Netizens say this time, the robot has truly learned to “think.”

Behind this viral technological breakthrough, two companies from completely different sectors are once again linked:

One is Beijing Galaxy General, a tech startup led mainly by post-90s innovators, holding core technology in embodied intelligence;

The other is Taizhou Baida Precision, a manufacturing company led by a post-60s generation, with over thirty years of experience in precision manufacturing.

Their collaboration not only accelerates traditional manufacturing toward intelligence but also provides a solid foundation for cutting-edge technology to industrialize.

The robot has learned to “adapt on the fly.”

When news of Elon Musk’s praise arrived, Huang Shen, Vice President of Galaxy General, was on his way to the Taizhou Bay New Area proof-of-concept center.

What makes the tennis-playing robot impressive? Huang Shen says it breaks free from the “pre-programmed cage.”

Previously, robots on stage dancing or robotic arms in factories required engineers to program every movement precisely, and the robots simply executed them.

But a tennis court is different. Speed, landing point, spin—all are variables. There’s no script to follow, no routine. To catch the ball, the robot must perceive in real-time, make quick decisions, and execute accurately—like a human.

This is one of the most challenging problems faced by robots in sports scenarios and also represents Galaxy General’s core breakthrough. In collaboration with Tsinghua University, the team used deep reinforcement learning to give robots autonomous learning capabilities. First, they trained in virtual simulation environments with vast amounts of data; then, they refined the models in real-world scenarios using actual machine data. Ultimately, the robot learned to “adapt on the fly.”

“This is a leap from embodied intelligence’s ‘mechanical replication’ to ‘intelligent decision-making.’ The viral spread of the video also proves that our technology is competing at the forefront internationally,” Huang Shen said.

A new partner in cross-industry innovation.

On July 20, 2025, in Beijing.

Taizhou Baida Precision Vice President Zhang Qichun visited Galaxy General’s R&D center for the first time. As a founder with over thirty years in automotive parts manufacturing, he initially just wanted to discuss a component supply partnership.

Seeing robots capable of complex movements in the lab, Zhang changed his mind. “Traditional manufacturing will inevitably face transformation and upgrading. If we don’t move forward, we’ll be eliminated.”

He told Galaxy General’s leaders, “You have the best technology, and we have thirty years of manufacturing experience. We look forward to combining our strengths to promote embodied intelligence toward large-scale application.”

At the intersection of industrial upgrading and technological innovation, one side drives implementation through breakthroughs, while the other leverages manufacturing capacity for industrial transformation. When these meet, different sectors merge naturally, making collaboration seamless.

What surprised Galaxy General’s team even more was the efficiency and service quality of the Taizhou Bay New Area’s investment promotion.

After learning of the cooperation intent, the Taizhou Bay New Area authorities acted swiftly and precisely. Within two weeks, they completed on-site meetings, tailored support policies, and streamlined approval processes—all with green lights. By September 30, Taizhou Baiyin Tong Robot Co., Ltd. was officially registered.

From initial meeting to the establishment of the joint venture, it took just over two months.

How will robots enter “all walks of life”?

On March 18, at the Taizhou Bay New Area embodied robot proof-of-concept center, robots for retail, home service, and industrial manufacturing are being repeatedly trained across various scenarios.

A few kilometers away, in a 200-acre new factory, the production line is nearing completion. A clear timetable is in place: by the end of April, the pilot line will be built; in May, the first trial production line will start; by the end of the year, the factory aims to achieve initial large-scale robot production.

After appearing on the Spring Festival Gala, orders flooded in. “Embodied intelligence is expected to grow into a trillion-dollar industry, even with the potential to surpass the automotive industry. The path is clear: robots will first achieve large-scale application in industrial and commercial scenarios, then gradually enter homes,” Zhang Qichun explained.

Taizhou will become an important manufacturing base for Galaxy General. Focusing on core robot components, both sides will continue to enhance local production capacity and steadily increase the local share of key parts.

The embodied intelligence proof-of-concept center is open to all local enterprises. This platform, envisioned as a “Yangtze River Delta embodied intelligence training ground,” will serve five core functions: technology validation, industrial research, talent development, ecosystem collaboration, and standard setting. It is accessible to startups, research institutions, and local companies, providing comprehensive services including technical validation, funding, equipment support, and results commercialization.

“The goal is to lower the threshold for transformation, so that all of Taizhou’s manufacturing can ride the wave of intelligence,” said Zhang Qichun. Several local companies have already expressed interest in cooperation. An industry cluster centered on embodied intelligence is emerging in Taizhou like a spring thunder.

Taizhou’s manufacturing heritage also provides fertile ground for technological implementation. Deeply rooted in auto parts, sewing equipment, and mold industries, local supply chains can support “half-hour” component procurement. Zhejiang’s thriving private economy, along with factories, logistics, retail, and healthcare services, makes it an ideal testing ground for robotics.

Today, robots are about to enter Taizhou factories’ production lines; the same robots seen on the Spring Festival Gala are now operating on the streets of Taizhou, with over a hundred space capsule locations nationwide; home service and healthcare robots are also accelerating their iteration based on local scenarios.

For Galaxy General, the viral success of the tennis robot is just the beginning. In the future, robots will enter factories, shopping malls, and homes, becoming true productivity drivers.

For Baida Precision, this marks a bold cross-industry journey after thirty years of manufacturing. Only by giving traditional manufacturing wings of intelligence can it break boundaries and soar toward a broader future.