HD Hyundai Robotics, the robot solutions affiliate of HD Hyundai (267250.KS), has made a strategic investment aimed at realizing "physical artificial intelligence" and securing an early lead in the emerging market.
The company said on the 11th that it acquired a stake in Aidin Robotics, a specialist in robotic sensory functions, for 13 billion won. The size of the stake was not disclosed at the request of the investee.
Through the equity investment, HD Hyundai Robotics plans to secure core humanoid robot technology and strengthen its competitiveness in the physical AI business.
Aidin Robotics was founded in 2019 by Choi Hyouk-ryeol, a professor of mechanical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, and his former student, CEO Lee Yoon-haeng. The company designs and manufactures its own sensor solutions that precisely detect touch and force in robots. It exports six-axis force and torque sensors, which play a critical role in robotic movement, to 10 countries including Germany, France, Spain, China and Japan.
Aidin Robotics' sensors are regarded as core components for humanoid robots, offering strengths in cost competitiveness and miniaturization as well as performance. In the era of physical AI, competitiveness hinges on how precisely a machine can perceive, interact with and control its physical environment, making force and tactile data decisive factors in the precision and quality of robotic work. That is why sensing technology is drawing greater attention.
The two companies will begin developing products that combine HD Hyundai Robotics' robot platform with Aidin Robotics' force and tactile sensors and control technology. They also plan to develop a five-fingered robotic hand tailored for shipbuilding and heavy industry, to be mounted on HD Hyundai Robotics' humanoid robots.
The partners will also cooperate on surface treatment automation, which uses robots for tasks such as polishing and grinding that workers have performed by hand. They plan to develop surface treatment automation solutions, starting at shipyards and heavy industry sites before expanding across Korean manufacturing and later into global markets including U.S. shipyards.
"This investment is a strategic choice to combine the capabilities of both companies and develop robot solutions based on physical AI," an HD Hyundai Robotics official said. "We will continue to pursue strategic partnerships with promising technology firms to help strengthen the global competitiveness of Korea's robotics industry, while moving aggressively to secure an early lead in the future market."
Aidin Robotics also said the same day that it had attracted 3 billion won from Samsung Venture Investment in addition to the investment from HD Hyundai Robotics. The startup previously raised 4.5 billion won in a Series A round in 2022 from investors including DSC Investment, BNK Venture Capital, Kolon Investment and Future Play, and 15 billion won in a Series B round in 2024 from Korea Investment Partners, POSCO Technology Investment, CJ Logistics, Samsung Next and GS Ventures.
