Kyung Hee University and Circulus Begin Joint Research on Fabric Robot Skin

Pursuing the Development of Next-Generation Materials for AI Robots

Kyung Hee University announced on December 2 that it has begun joint research with Circulus, a domestic artificial intelligence (AI) robot company, on developing robot skin using fabric materials.

This joint research was initiated following the collaboration between the two institutions, which led to the unveiling of the 'K-Pop Demon Hunters Style Robot' at the 2025 APEC Summit in October.

The joint research team aims to accelerate the practical commercialization of humanoid robots by developing textile-based outer skin technology that mimics human tactile sensation and flexibility.

From Kyung Hee University, Professor Kim Taekyung from the Department of Big Data Application, Professor Kim Dokyung from the College of Medicine, and Professors Gam Seonju and Song Hwagyeong from the Department of Clothing and Textiles are participating in the joint research.

The Kyung Hee University research team will leverage its expertise in textiles and advanced materials to design highly elastic and durable fabric materials that can be attached to the surface of robots.

Circulus has recently advanced the robot's 'brain' by developing the Intel-based AI board piCore series. Through this joint research with Kyung Hee University, Circulus is expanding its research into the area of robot 'skin.'

Park Jonggeon, CEO of Circulus, stated, "Through this collaboration, we aim to lay the technological foundation for robots to coexist naturally alongside humans."

The joint research team plans to produce a prototype of the fabric-based robot skin by the first half of 2026. In the future, this technology is expected to be applied to the humanoid robot 'MCR-1' and the care service robot 'MYBO' series, which Circulus is developing jointly with Mandro and Roboworks.