ZMP

About ZMP

ZMP Inc. is a Japanese robotics and autonomous driving technology company founded in January 2001 by Hisashi Taniguchi. The company originated from the Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project, a research initiative under Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The name "ZMP" is derived from the Zero Moment Point, a concept in the dynamics of legged robots.

Founder Hisashi Taniguchi's background includes experience as an engineer developing ABS for commercial vehicles at Japan Air Brake (now Nabtesco) and in technical sales at a trading company before establishing ZMP. His mission was to move beyond replicating US business models and compete in robotics, a field where Japan has a strong reputation. The company's vision is to make robots a part of the social infrastructure, aiming to create a safe, enjoyable, and convenient lifestyle by liberalizing the movement of people and goods.

ZMP's business is B2B, focusing on providing development platforms, sensor systems, and R&D support for autonomous mobility to clients in the automotive industry and other sectors. Its product portfolio is diverse, including the "RoboCar" series, an autonomous vehicle platform for research, logistics support robots like "CarriRo," and delivery robots such as "DeliRo." The company also develops the "Robo-Hi" cloud-based management system to control multiple types of robots. ZMP has engaged in numerous partnerships, including a joint venture with Sony called Aerosense to create commercial drones for survey and inspection, and collaborations with companies like Hinomaru Kotsu for autonomous taxi trials.

The company's history includes several key milestones. Early products included the humanoid robot 'PINO' in 2001, 'nuvo' in 2005, and the music robot 'miuro' in 2006. A significant shift occurred around 2008 when ZMP moved from a B2C to a B2B model, applying its robotics technology to the automotive sector, which led to the release of the RoboCar research platform in 2009. ZMP has also expanded internationally, establishing a base in Vietnam in 2019 to leverage local IT talent for R&D. The company has received funding from investors including Intel Capital, Sony, and Dream Incubator. As of April 2025, the company will change its name to ROBO-HI Corporation.