Japanese humanoid robotics startup Donut Robotics Inc. has entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with Charm Care Corporation, securing an investment of ¥300 million ($2.07 million), according to a company announcement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Charm Care, a Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market-listed operator of private senior living facilities, will subscribe to ¥300 million worth of common shares issued by Donut Robotics.
The fresh injection of capital will fund the scaled deployment of “physical AI” and robotic solutions across Charm Care’s extensive network of over 100 private nursing homes in the Kansai and Greater Tokyo areas.
The strategic partnership directly addresses Japan’s long-term demographic crisis. As one of the world’s most rapidly aging countries, Japan’s healthcare and eldercare sectors are grappling with a severe, chronic shortage of care workers.
The two companies have been experimentally piloting Donut Robotics’ flagship bipedal mass-production humanoid, “cinnamon 1,” at select fee-based nursing homes since July 2026.
Measuring approximately 170 cm tall, the humanoid uses Vision-Language-Action (VLA) AI, allowing it to perform facility patrols, recognise environmental surroundings, and translate scenarios into verbal descriptions.
Both companies plan to transition the tech from experimental phases into deep operational workflows.
“Eldercare presents many challenges for physical AI, but I believe we must overcome these,” said Taisuke Ono, Representative Director of Donut Robotics. “In a few years, I hope [cinnamon] will move in ways that are almost unrecognizable compared with today, enriching residents’ lives while reducing the burden on those working in care facilities.”
Founded in 2014 in a garage in Kitakyushu and incorporated in 2016, Donut Robotics has historically backed its hardware with advanced software features, including proprietary gesture control technology for operations in noisy environments.
The startup is currently transitioning its supply chain to build a fully Japan-made humanoid pipeline, shifting assembly and chip modifications locally based on its overseas hardware foundations.
