The landscape of humanoid robotics investment is changing. In the past, funding was primarily directed towards hardware components like joints and actuators that enable robot movement. Recently, however, there has been a surge in investments towards startups developing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that replicate human senses such as touch, hearing, sight, and smell.
According to the '2026 Physical AI Startup Map' released by Startup Alliance on July 30, among 149 domestic physical AI startups, 70 are robotics companies, accounting for approximately 47% of the total. Recent investments are increasingly targeting startups that develop sensory AI technologies, moving beyond those that simply manufacture humanoids.
In the first half of this year, Holiday Robotics, which develops humanoids for manufacturing environments, secured 155 billion won in a Series A funding round, marking a trend of large-scale investments. Recently, funding has also flowed into companies focused on sensory technologies that enable humanoids to perceive and interact with their surroundings like humans.
A notable example is Tesolo, which develops robotic hand (gripper) technology. In June, Tesolo secured Series B funding, although the amount was not disclosed. The company supplies multi-joint robotic hands to major firms such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Delta Electronics, and exports its products to 19 countries, including the United States and Japan, demonstrating its competitive edge in commercialization. Gripper technology is considered essential for robots to stably grasp and manipulate various objects like human hands.
Investments are also continuing in the auditory AI sector. The sound AI startup Deeplee raised 2.5 billion won in funding on June 25. Deeplee has developed 'ListenAI,' which can detect machine anomalies or assess component quality based solely on sound in manufacturing settings. Currently, it is utilized for quality inspection, equipment anomaly detection, and safety management, and it is expected to be applied to humanoids in the future to identify hazardous situations or machine issues in real-time based on sound.
In the visual AI sector, Superb AI raised 14 billion won through a pre-IPO at the end of last year. Its technology, based on a visual language model (VLM) that understands both images and text, is used for quality inspection and risk detection in manufacturing environments. The company plans to expand its technology into a visual-language-action (VLA) model that can perform actual actions.
Additionally, investments have recently flowed into startups like Ilias AI, which is developing olfactory foundation models, and SixSense, which is learning tactile data. Although the markets for olfactory and tactile AI are still in their infancy, these technologies are deemed essential for humanoids to utilize all five senses like humans, leading to increased interest in related startups.
Industry experts believe that South Korea, as a manufacturing powerhouse, has a high potential to secure competitiveness in the sensory AI field. The country has the infrastructure to enhance sensory AI by leveraging data accumulated from various manufacturing environments, including smart factories, automotive, and semiconductor industries.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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