LG Innotek has partnered with Japanese electronic components company TDK to develop sensing solutions for physical AI, including next-generation vision sensing modules and tactile sensing modules, with commercialization targeted for 2027.
LG Innotek announced on July 28 that it had signed a strategic partnership with TDK in the field of physical AI.
TDK is a global electronic components company that has invested heavily in its sensor business for more than two decades. Its portfolio includes sensors for inertia, position, pressure, and temperature, among other applications relevant to physical AI.
Under the partnership, the two companies will conduct advanced research on integrating TDK's inertial and position sensors, microphones, and other components into LG Innotek's vision sensing modules. Their goal is to develop next-generation modules with enhanced recognition performance and multiple integrated functions.
Rather than collecting primarily visual data, the new modules are designed to process motion, orientation, and audio data together, helping robots better perceive and understand their surroundings.
The first target is a module incorporating an inertial measurement unit (IMU). LG Innotek plans to introduce a vision sensing module equipped with a TDK IMU in 2027. The module would compensate for image instability caused by a robot's movements, enabling more accurate environmental recognition.
The companies also plan to jointly develop a tactile sensing module by 2027. Designed to function like human skin, the component can be installed not only in robot hands but also in arms and torsos, allowing robots to detect contact and measure applied pressure.
Tactile sensing modules are regarded as high-value components that require sophisticated technologies, including ultra-precise sensing, ultra-thin designs, and flexible structures. LG Innotek will contribute its module integration and digital signal processing technologies, while TDK will provide high-precision tactile sensing expertise built across consumer electronics, automotive, and other industries.
For robot manufacturers, the partnership could reduce the complexity of sourcing and connecting separate sensors. Multiple sensing functions would instead be integrated into a single module.
“Multi-sensing, which combines a wide range of sensors, will become increasingly important in robotics,” said Moon Hyuk-soo, CEO of LG Innotek. “Through our collaboration with TDK, which has a broad sensor portfolio, we will help lead the ecosystem for core robot components.”
