As technological competition intensifies to enable robots to perceive and interact with their environments similarly to humans, collaborations combining semiconductor sensing technology with AI computing platforms are gaining momentum in the domestic robotics market. Fabless semiconductor company ImageStech Technology is partnering with physical AI solution company Syma AI to expand cooperation in the fields of robotics and industrial automation.

On March 17, ImagesTechnology announced that it had agreed to a strategic partnership with Syma AI to expand the robotics and industrial physical AI markets. Syma AI views the Korean market, where the robotics industry is growing rapidly, as a key hub and selected Images as a partner for local technology cooperation.

The core of this collaboration is tactile-based interface technology, which is necessary for robots to detect and manipulate objects. For humanoid or collaborative robots, it is difficult to determine the pressure or texture of an object using only visual information, so the importance of tactile sensing technology is growing. It is known that Sima AI focused on the ultra-precision sensing and actuation technology possessed by Images during the process of securing these technological elements.

Images has been advancing robot interface technology based on sensing and control algorithms accumulated in the mobile and IT device sectors. Through this collaboration, the company plans to integrate this technology with Syma AI's Machine Learning System-on-Chip (MLSoC) platform to provide sensor interfaces optimized for physical AI environments. Syma AI's MLSoC features high computational performance relative to power efficiency, making it applicable even in environments with significant power constraints, such as mobile robots or industrial automation equipment.

"When the company's technological capabilities based on sensing and actuation technology are combined with Syma AI's physical AI platform, it will create a cooperative structure that complements each other's strengths," said Kim Jeong-cheol, CEO of Images. "We believe that through this collaboration, we will be able to expand our technological competitiveness in the global physical AI market."

Harry Kroger, President and Head of Sales for the Automotive Division at Cima AI, stated, “The robotics sector is a prime example of an industry that demands both high-speed computing and high energy efficiency simultaneously,” adding, “We expect that Images’ robotics technology and market experience will help expand the Cima AI platform.”

The two companies plan to first cooperate on securing design adoption and proof of concept (PoC) within the Korean robot industry environment. Korea is one of the countries with a high density of industrial robot adoption and is considered to have a favorable environment for acquiring real-world field application experience. Based on the technology verification results secured through this, we also plan to pursue expansion into the global market in the future.

The solutions jointly developed by the two companies are expected to be applied to tactile sensing technology for humanoid and collaborative robots, vision and tactile-based automation systems for smart factories, and sensor interfaces for intelligent devices such as VR and AR devices. The industry believes that this combination of technologies will play a crucial role in enhancing the precision control of robots and their ability to interact with humans.

This collaboration is also interpreted as a move by Images to expand the scope of its technology application from its existing sensor supply-centric business into the realm of AI-based robotics platforms. With the robotics industry and physical AI market growing rapidly, there is also a possibility that collaboration models combining sensing technology and AI computing platforms will expand across the industry.