Introduction

Computers laid the groundwork for the information age, and smartphones drove consumer-side digital transformation. What, then, will underpin the era of all-encompassing intelligent connectivity?

On May 22, 2026, at the OpenHarmony Intelligent IoT Ecosystem Conference in Shenzhen, Wang Chenglu, CEO of Shenzhen Kaihong, provided a clear answer: “OpenHarmony is positioned to establish the foundation for the Internet of Things.”

At the same event, China’s first—and currently only—OpenHarmony innovation center for manufacturing, the Kaihong Qiyuan Innovation Center, made its official debut.

Located in Shenzhen Industrial Software Park, it was launched through a collaborative effort by Shenzhen Kaihong, ChinaSoft International, Wan Dong Zhi Hui, and Digital Huaxia.

Previously, OpenHarmony’s impact was felt in smartphones and home appliances. Now, it is set to revolutionize factory floors and robotic systems, with robots leading the charge, followed by drones and autonomous vehicles.

(For more insights, please click: “Huawei HarmonyOS Intelligent Travel with AITO M9: Back on the 2026 Spring Festival Gala! How Powerful is the Autonomous Driving Black Technology?”)

I. Why Robots? Three ‘Sufficients’ Back a Trillion-Dollar Market

Kaihong Qiyuan has identified four key areas for incubation: robots, drones (and vehicles), smart manufacturing, and smart cockpits, with robots taking priority.

Why? Wang Chenglu explains with a two-tiered rationale:

On the surface, embodied intelligence represents the ultimate fusion of AI and the physical world. However, the operating system layer in this field remains largely undeveloped, despite a market scale in the trillions.

Digging deeper, he cites three ‘sufficients’: “The robot population is sufficiently large, application scenarios are sufficiently diverse, and the overall market scale is sufficiently massive.”

The robotics industry has long struggled with fragmentation—incompatible technical approaches, mismatched hardware and software, and companies working in isolation.

Drones and autonomous vehicles face similar challenges, each developing proprietary control systems, leading to incompatible data and protocols that hinder large-scale deployment.

This calls for a “unified foundation.” An operating system serves as the “soul” of robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles.

Kaihong Qiyuan aims to provide this foundation. With robots leading the way, drones (and vehicles) will follow—once the base is established, HarmonyOS integration will quickly expand.

II. M-Robots OS 2.0 Unveiled: How Can Robots ‘Collaborate and Communicate’?

At the conference, the open-source version of the OpenHarmony-based robot operating system, M-Robots OS 2.0, was officially released.

Version 1.0 debuted in April 2025, went open-source in July, and was donated to the OpenAtom OpenHarmony Foundation in November.

A year later, version 2.0 arrives, targeting industry pain points:

• Modular Architecture, Scalable for All Needs: Decouples software and hardware, with deployment resource requirements ranging from 20KB to X GB—supporting everything from micro-sensors to large industrial robots.
• Hybrid Deployment, Precision Down to the Microsecond: Enables single-chip multi-core hybrid deployment, with interrupt response and task-switching delays controlled within 1 microsecond—meeting the real-time demands of industrial settings.
• Shared Hardware Capabilities, Breaking Monolithic Limits: Based on the “super device” mechanism, algorithms, perception, and execution capabilities can be shared across devices. This is revolutionary for drone swarms and autonomous vehicle clusters.
• AI-Native, Multi-Agent Autonomous Collaboration: Driven by AI Agents, it enables multi-agent autonomous learning and optimization, dynamically generating group collaboration plans.
• Mainstream Ecosystem Compatibility, Cutting Migration Costs by 80%: Works seamlessly with middleware like ROS1 and ROS2, reducing the cost of migrating existing applications by 80%.

In simple terms: previously, robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles operated as “lone wolves,” but M-Robots OS 2.0 transforms them into a “well-coordinated special forces unit.”

III. Drones (and Vehicles) Next in Line: How Does HarmonyOS ‘Amplify Its Impact’?

Why are drones and autonomous vehicles the next focus after robots? The answer lies in M-Robots OS 2.0’s cross-device capabilities.

• Drone Swarm Performances: Hundreds of drones take off simultaneously. Traditional solutions rely on centralized ground station scheduling, leading to high communication delays. With M-DDS low-latency coordination, drones can “communicate directly,” enabling smoother formation changes.
• Urban Delivery by Autonomous Vehicles: Multiple vehicles navigate complex road conditions, requiring real-time traffic information sharing and collaborative obstacle avoidance. HarmonyOS’s distributed soft bus allows them to “see each other,” preventing traffic jams.
• Cross-Domain Collaboration Among ‘Robots + Drones + Autonomous Vehicles’: In factories, AGVs transport materials; in parks, autonomous vehicles provide shuttle services; in the air, drones conduct inspections. All operate on the same OS foundation, enabling data interchange and task coordination—this is the true “intelligent connectivity for all things.”

One foundation, three applications. The “ecosystem leverage” effect of HarmonyOS is fully on display here.

IV. Ecosystem as the True Competitive Edge: The Engineering Path to ‘Collaboration’

Wang Chenglu describes the innovation center as a “convergence platform”: “When enterprises collaborate, industrial adoption becomes incredibly powerful.”

Kaihong Qiyuan’s “One Body, Two Wings, Three Platforms” framework makes this highly practical:

• The “body” is the company itself.
• The “two wings” are technological innovation + industrial investment, with plans to establish a billion-yuan Special Industry Fund, forming a “fund + center” dual-drive model.
• The “three platforms” are R&D and pilot testing, scenario validation, and industrial ecosystem development.

Wang Chenglu summarizes: “By integrating technology R&D, industrial application promotion, and ecosystem aggregation on one platform, we create a short-chain closed loop.”

Simultaneously, three brands were launched: the Adaptation and Certification Center, the OpenHarmony Compatibility Evaluation Center, and the Talent Cultivation Base.

Enterprises can now handle certification, access standards, and recruit engineers all in one place.

Kaihong Qiyuan has formed strategic partnerships with five institutions:

• The National Key Laboratory of Digital Steel at Northeastern University (steel industry scenarios).
• The National Radio Monitoring Center Testing Center (certification endorsement).
• The Zhanjiang Bay Laboratory (marine equipment).
• The Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (AIRS) (cutting-edge robotics).
• The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (standard evaluation).

Ten ecosystem partners signed on-site, with companies like Digu Robot, Saite Intelligence, and Chuangxiang Future unveiling new products based on M-Robots OS, covering chips, educational robots, and smart healthcare robots.

From underlying chips to industry terminals, a HarmonyOS-powered industrial chain is quietly taking shape.

V. Shenzhen Longgang’s ‘Vision’: From ‘Guangdong Scale’ to ‘Guangdong Innovation’

Why Shenzhen? Wang Chenglu responds bluntly: “Shenzhen offers the best physical infrastructure and environment, with the highest concentration of digital technology, intelligent technology, and smart industry sectors.”

Longgang District has made significant strides, establishing a “special task force + chief engineer” mechanism and a dedicated district-level HarmonyOS office, clarifying the path of “HarmonyOS industrialization and industrial HarmonyOS integration” to build a “24/7 HarmonyOS Zone.”

Kaihong Qiyuan aims to become a national-level IoT manufacturing innovation center within 1–2 years. Its long-term goals are summarized in four phrases: “Establish a pillar for Guangdong, cultivate a source for the nation, set a global benchmark, and serve as a capital for the industrial chain.”

In the past, domestic operating systems faced criticism for “having technology but lacking an ecosystem.” Kaihong Qiyuan goes beyond just releasing an OS—it simultaneously addresses shareholders, models, capital, partners, talent, and standards, essentially engineering the “ecosystem-building” process.

Robots are first to receive “integration,” with drones (and vehicles) to follow closely behind.

In short, Unmanned Vehicle Coming (WeChat ID: Unmanned Vehicle Coming) believes:

This strategy is highly intelligent: by refining the foundation through high-complexity scenarios (robots), it can rapidly replicate the model to drones, autonomous vehicles, and other general intelligent devices.

One foundation, N scenarios—once the ecosystem flywheel starts spinning, it becomes unstoppable.

References: Reports from media outlets including China Economic Net, China Software International, Shenzhen News Network, Jiemian News, DoNews, Phoenix News, Huaxia Morning Post, and ZOL.