The consumer technology market suffers from overcrowding, driven largely by products trying to do more for more people. The most interesting platforms of late are doing the opposite, creating by disrupting something that has not been properly addressed until now. Shenzhen has always been good at this, and the InnoX Academy has been quietly developing the next generation of builders who make those products possible.
Founded in 2021 by Professor Li Zexiang from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen InnoX Academy is a structured ecosystem that develops engineers and entrepreneurs into product developers. At the Global Connect 2026 show, it gave the world a look at its latest collection of debuts, from home fitness and pet care to accessories designed to stand out, each taking a thoughtful approach to a specific problem.
Pilates modifiers have always been the type of equipment you can only find in a dedicated studio, too big and bulky for most apartments to accommodate. Pavo Fitness, started by a team of architects, industrial designers, and professional Pilates instructors, saw that as a problem that could be solved. The Pavo Reformer is their answer: a compact, foldable machine designed to bring studio-quality resistance training to the average home.
Designer: PAVO
When the session is finished, it can be packed away without being disassembled or moved to a corner, so it doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture in your living space. A smart onboard system keeps tabs on performance, which is especially important in a home environment where no instructor is watching your form. It adds a layer of accountability that a traditional converter cannot provide.
Households with many animals have the potential to feed many intelligent people who are not looking for them. A timed feeder works for one pet, but when multiple cats have different dietary needs, meal planning is only part of the problem; the hardest challenge is to make sure that each cat gets only its own food. That’s what PETPA was built to solve, by a team that previously worked on hardware at DJI, Narwal, and RoboMaster.
Designer: PETPA
The PETPA Multi-pet Feeder uses individual animal recognition to identify each cat and control access to its food, especially useful in households where one cat needs to lose weight or follow a prescription diet while others do not. It was launched at CES 2025 and won the CES Innovation Award in the Pet Tech and Animal Welfare category, recognizing a product that solves a problem that most smart feeders have yet to address.
Taking care of sneakers has evolved into its own dedicated tradition for collectors and sports enthusiasts who would rather not take chances with a stiff brush and soapy water. Regular cleaning practice still carries the risk of fading colors, weak materials, or twisting the structure of very delicate shoes. Brolan’s ClearX is an all-in-one home machine that performs cleaning, low-temperature drying, and sterilization in one automatic cycle.
Designer: Brolan
Founded in 2025 by a team drawing from Nanyang Technological University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Tsinghua University, Brolan designed clearX specifically to clean without the hassle of manual scrubbing. The idea is to get the shoes completely clean without jeopardizing the materials used, which is very important for anyone who owns suede, synthetic, or premium leather shoes and even careful hand washing can easily ruin them.
Not everything on the InnoX list is about automation or performance tracking. REAZENABLE takes a different approach with the REAZE Sandstone series, a collection that sits somewhere between smart lighting and a decorative item, aimed at people who would rather their home be quiet than hyper-connected. The philosophy of the product, the technology that enables the environment and the feeling of adjusting the light, gives a clear sense of where the priorities are.
Designer: IN PROGRESS
The collection includes a Halo light and three scent vessels, all made of sand-based materials and shaped with ribs that recall the uneven surface of the moon. The technical structure is deliberately hidden in those soft architectural forms, so nothing on the shelf reads like a gadget. The light of the atmosphere, the texture of the minerals, and the smell work together into something that feels more like a normal thing than a piece of hardware.
Several other InnoX startups have tackled personal processes. Rootique has introduced DUO, a skin atomizing applicator that uses patented DuoTrace technology and IntelliMist technology for precise delivery of serum in about 15 seconds, already confirmed with an Indiegogo campaign that has found supporters in 52 countries. OCJOY has introduced OCJOY Air, a home micro-air oral cleaning system that brings the air powder cleaning method from dental offices to your counter.
Direct Drive Tech D1
The list has expanded to a less unexpected place, too. Blucalm’s StrikeDeck delivers AI-assisted game audio with a desktop controller, while ORULINK’s Watcher-Robot is an open-source desktop AI companion built for everyday interaction. CHEERLUCK has brought a sausage-selling robot to campuses and public spaces, and both Y-H2O and ANAVI have introduced electric watercraft, a hydrofoiling ship, and a smart personal watercraft, each designed to cut the noise and emissions of traditional marine engines.
EcoFlow
Narwhal
What gives the InnoX program credibility beyond the stage is the school’s extensive history. Products like Narwal, SwitchBot, DJI, EcoFlow, AgileX, and LiberLive are all part of the wider InnoX ecosystem, a record that makes it worthy of attention when the academy’s latest collection of embedded products goes out in front of an international audience for the first time.
LiberLive
DJI