Deepens partnership with HD Hyundai Robotics

Develops robotic automation solutions for shipbuilding, heavy industry

Co-develops five-finger humanoid robot hand

Builds capacity to mass-produce 30,000 force/torque sensors a year

[Courtesy of Aidin Robotics]
[Courtesy of Aidin Robotics]

Aidin Robotics, a robot sensory intelligence company, said Friday that it has secured a strategic investment of 16 billion won ($12 million) from HD Hyundai Robotics and Samsung Venture Investment.

The company plans to use the funds to build mass-production facilities and quality-verification systems for its force and torque sensors, as well as to expand its research and development workforce.

Aidin Robotics will particularly step up cooperation with HD Hyundai Robotics in the shipbuilding and heavy industry sectors. The two companies first agreed to jointly develop a force-control-based robotic automation solution for surface treatment work on ship hulls and welded block joints.

Shipyards have long been considered a difficult environment for existing automation equipment, given the irregular shapes of work targets and the massive volume of surface treatment required.

The two companies plan to verify the technology at domestic shipyards before expanding its use across the broader domestic manufacturing sector, and eventually entering overseas markets such as the US shipbuilding industry.

They will also jointly develop a heavy-duty, five-finger robotic hand specialized for shipbuilding and heavy industry, to be mounted on the humanoid robot HD Hyundai Robotics is developing. Aidin Robotics plans to apply the force-control data and work know-how it has accumulated at shipyards to the development of the robotic hand.

The company also aims to expand its capacity to mass-produce robot components. Aidin Robotics plans to use the investment to raise its annual production capacity for force and torque sensors to 30,000 units. The move is aimed at preemptively securing supply capacity ahead of an expected surge in sensor demand once humanoid robot mass production takes off.

"Aidin Robotics is the only domestic company that has vertically integrated everything from sensors to force-control technology," said Lee Yun-haeng, CEO of Aidin Robotics. "We will focus on proving our business value through the funding and customers we have secured, and on completing our mass-production system for robot components."

Aidin Robotics was co-founded in 2019 by Choi Hyeok-ryeol, a professor of mechanical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, and Lee. The company designs and produces its own capacitive-type force/torque sensors and tactile sensors, combining them with force-control software to give robots the ability to sense and adjust the force generated when they come into contact with objects. Its solutions are currently used in manufacturing settings including defense, semiconductor equipment components and automobiles.

In 2024, the company raised funding from Samsung Next, Posco Technology Investment, CJ Logistics and Korea Investment Partners, among others. Last year, it was selected for Samsung Electronics' startup incubation program, C-Lab Outside.


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