Saigan Technology hat mehrere Millionen Yuan in einer Serie Pre - A - Finanzierungsrunde gewonnen. Die elektronische Haut für humanoide Roboter auf Basis der Iontronic - Technologie ist bereits in Massenproduktion. | Exclusive von Yingke

Autor | Huang Nan

Redakteur | Peng Xiaoqiu

Hard Kr has learned that SaiGan Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SaiGan Technology") recently completed a Pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan. This round was led by China Merchants Capital, with Amber Capital and industrial player Bojie Co., Ltd. participating as follow-on investors. The funds from this round will be used for core technology investment, product R & D iteration, and exploration of market applications.

"SaiGan Technology" was founded in 2023 and focuses on flexible sensing technology, concentrating on the R & D, production, and sales of a new generation of high-performance flexible intelligent sensors and robotic electronic skins. The company's technology originated from the Ultra-Flexible Electronics Laboratory of Southern University of Science and Technology. On the basis of achieving key technological innovations across the entire chain of materials, structures, devices, and systems, it has developed products such as flexible intelligent sensors and electronic skins with high sensitivity, large measurement range, fast response, and high linearity, which can be widely applied in fields such as humanoid robots, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, and medical health.

Guo Chuanfei, the founder and chief scientist, is a tenured professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology and a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. His main research fields include high-performance electronic skins, human flexible electronic technology, and intelligent robots. He has participated in the compilation of national and industry standards and applied for more than 40 patents. CEO Xiong Gengchao once served as the general manager of Haier Guangke and the general manager of the Beijing Innovation Center of Haier Smart Home, with rich experience in industrialization and commercialization. The team also includes a research team composed of more than 20 doctors and post - doctors, with more than a decade of technological R & D accumulation in fields such as flexible sensors, electronic skins, new materials, and micro - structures.

Flexible intelligent sensors refer to intelligent devices that integrate micro - sensing arrays using flexible substrate materials that can be bent and stretched, such as silicone rubber and nanocomposites. They have the ability to sense physical quantities such as pressure, temperature, and strain, and are characterized by thinness, high elasticity, and environmental adaptability. The bionic integrated system - electronic skin, which is integrated by flexible sensors, can simulate the tactile, temperature - sensing, and interactive functions of human skin. In recent years, it has become the focus of the intelligent sensing field, and the market scale has shown an explosive growth trend.

SaiGan Technology's high - performance iontronic sensor (Source/Enterprise)

According to a report by CICC Industry Research Institute, the global market size of flexible tactile sensors was approximately $1.534 billion in 2022, growing to $2.67 billion in 2024. Forecast data shows that by 2025, the global market size of flexible tactile sensors will reach $3.22 billion, and it is expected to exceed $5 billion by 2029.

Relying on the integration of iontronic materials and micro - structure systems, "SaiGan Technology" uses nano - interface iontronic capacitive technology, that is, the change of the sensing signal is achieved through the change of the contact area between the electronic conductor and the ionic conductor. When the contact area increases, the sensor can output a significantly enhanced signal. Traditional sensors often struggle to achieve both high sensitivity and a large measurement range. In contrast, "SaiGan Technology" has launched a high - performance iontronic sensor that can cover the entire measurement range from milligram - level perception to hundred - kilogram - level load - bearing.

For example, a single - point sensor can maintain a linear response within the range of 0 - 2000 kPa, with a detection limit as low as 1 Pa, which is equivalent to a pressure of less than about 10 mg. This means that even when an extremely light pressure is applied, its high - performance iontronic sensor can produce an obvious signal in an environment with extremely low noise, truly achieving high - precision discrimination between signals and noise, and is suitable for fine - operation fields such as humanoid robots that require extremely high precision and sensitivity.

SaiGan Technology's high - performance iontronic sensor (Source/Enterprise)

In terms of materials, "SaiGan Technology" selects non - hygroscopic ion gels and other iontronic materials, combined with micro - structure bionic design. That is, by optimizing the geometric parameters of the honeycomb - like array, a double - layer capacitive structure can be constructed on an ultra - thin flexible substrate of 0.1 mm, enabling the sensor to have both high elasticity and environmental tolerance, and solving the pain points of traditional flexible sensors such as humidity interference and temperature crosstalk.

This technological characteristic shows significant application value in various scenarios. For example, in the case of household service robots, when a robot is doing household chores such as folding clothes, it can identify the fabric of the clothes and sense the softness or hardness of objects, and then adjust the force of the robotic arm through the precise feedback of the sensor to avoid damage caused by excessive force; when serving tea or water, it can also dynamically adjust the grasping force according to the weight and material of the cup to prevent it from slipping or breaking.

In scenarios with frequent human - machine interactions such as retail, when a robot has physical contact with a human, such as shaking hands or hugging, the sensor can sense the contact force in real - time and provide appropriate force feedback, ensuring the comfort of the interaction and triggering a safety brake through threshold setting to avoid the risk of collision between humans and machines due to improper force control.

Xiong Gengchao, the CEO of "SaiGan Technology", told Hard Kr, "Generally speaking, a sensor has six performance indicators, namely sensitivity, response time, detection limit, linearity, measurement range, and cyclic reliability. At present, we have achieved full - chain self - control from materials, structures, device processes, preparation methods to data collection and analysis, which can effectively improve the drawbacks of traditional sensors and truly achieve the unity of ultra - sensitivity and a wide measurement range."

Hard Kr has learned that "SaiGan Technology" has launched corresponding tactile sensing solutions in multiple fields such as humanoid robots, industrial robots, consumer electronics, and automotive electronics, and has entered the supplier list of leading companies in the industry such as Anta. The company has workshops and production lines in both Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Its world's first mass - production line for iontronic flexible tactile sensors was launched in 2024 and has entered the stage of mass production and shipment.

The world's first mass - production line for iontronic flexible sensors (Source/Enterprise)

In the future, "SaiGan Technology" will continue to increase its investment in product R & D and iteration, relying on the academic resources of universities to explore cutting - edge research in the field of humanoid robot electronic skins; at the same time, through technology popularization, it will focus on improving the user interaction experience and accelerate the application and implementation of flexible intelligent sensors in more fields and scenarios.

Comments from investors:

China Merchants Capital said that the core products of SaiGan Technology are based on "electronic skin" technology, and a technological barrier is formed through micro - structure design and material processes, which is difficult to replicate in the short term, with significant technological R & D barriers. Under the trend of intelligent manufacturing and human - machine interaction upgrade, SaiGan Technology's technological path shows clear commercial value. Through the combination of standardization and customization of flexible sensing arrays, it not only meets the precise sensing needs of high - end manufacturing scenarios such as robots and automobiles but also enters the mass markets such as consumer electronics and medical health through cost - controllable large - scale production. Currently, SaiGan Technology has served leading enterprises in fields such as robots and consumer electronics, forming a practical closed - loop from technology verification to large - scale application, and is expected to become an industry benchmark in the flexible electronic skin track.