In the field of developing robot hands, a core technology for humanoids, domestic small and midsize companies are standing out.
According to the robotics industry on the 8th, AIDIN Robotics, a domestic robot hand manufacturer, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Doosan Robotics last Nov. to develop a dual-arm humanoid platform.
AIDIN Robotics is regarded as having advanced technology in torque sensors that precisely control a robot's force. Through this agreement, the two companies plan to cooperate on developing technology for "physical contact intelligence," which adjusts the force needed to grasp objects using robot hands.
A robot hand is made in the shape of a human hand and is used to grasp various objects or manipulate tools. The number and orientation of joints must be precisely designed so that the fingers and wrist can move independently, and high-level technology is required to secure a gripping force similar to a human hand.
Tesollo, another specialized robot hand company, supplies its self-developed robot hands to domestic corporations. Tesollo went through a proof-of-concept (PoC) phase over the past three years. After conducting a humanoid robot hand PoC with Samsung Electronics last year, it began mass production this year.
ROBOTIS, which unveiled the robot hand model "HX5-D20" on Jan. 1, is currently supplying actuators (robot joint drive devices) and robot hand products to domestic conglomerates.
Specialized robot hand companies have often focused for a long time on research and development (R&D) of specific products or secured patents after intensively studying particular technologies at university-affiliated labs.
ROBOTIS has been developing actuators for more than 20 years. AIDIN Robotics originated from the robotics lab under Sungkyunkwan University, and Tesollo was founded by alumni of UST (University of Science and Technology).
An industry official said, "In many cases, major robot products have raised their technological prowess after startups or university-affiliated research groups dug deep into one area for a long time," adding, "In the case of Sungkyunkwan University's robotics lab, it developed not only AIDIN Robotics' sensors for robots but also technologies for measuring force."
However, as robot hands and other components have recently emerged as core technologies that enhance the usability of humanoids and are assessed to have high market value, large corporations at home and abroad are rushing into technology development.
U.S. electric car maker Tesla developed in-house the robot hands used in its humanoid Optimus. Samsung Electronics is developing actuators centered on the Future Robot Promotion Office established in late 2024, and LG Electronics also launched an actuator team early this year.