It is reported that Wang Naiyan, the former head of Xiaomi Auto’s L3 intelligent driving technology, has started his own business, focusing on developing a highly generalized embodied brain.

On September 8, 2026, Wang Naiyan, former head of L3-level intelligent driving technology at Xiaomi Auto, announced his decision to start a business in the field of embodied intelligence. His team consists of about ten core researchers, most of whom were former colleagues from his time at TuSen Future. The project aims to utilize a methodology that reuses L3 technology logic, introduce reinforcement learning through pre-training of action models, and use domain randomization to disrupt data conditions. It only sets fundamental “first principles” such as safety boundaries and physical laws, allowing the model to improve its generalization ability through thousands of self-play and trial-and-error processes. This entrepreneurship reflects the trend since 2025 where executives have shifted from the automotive industry to the robotics field. Previously, Li Liyun, former head of autonomous driving at Xpeng, and Chen Yonghai, former vice president, have joined Zhongqing Robotics. Chen Wei, former AI chief scientist at Li Auto, founded XiYue Intelligence.