YIMU Technology
Category: Robotics / Embodied AI
Shenzhen developer of mass-produced bionic visuo-tactile sensors, plus tactile data and model infrastructure, for embodied AI and robotics. YIMU Technology was founded in 2016. The company is led by Li Zhiqiang (Eric Li, 李智强). Based in Shenzhen, China. Total funding raised: $150.0M. Latest round: Series E. Key investors include SAIF Partners, Boyuan Capital (Bosch), China Internet Investment Fund, Shunwei Capital, TCL Ventures, Nanjing Venture Capital Group, Songlin Technology, Tiande Investment, Yonghua Capital, China-Singapore Fund, Infore Capital, Huacheng Venture Capital.
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Shenzhen, China
- Total funding
- $150.0M
Value proposition
Gives robots human-like touch. Optical, vision-based tactile sensors capture fingertip micro-deformation and compute pressure, shear, texture and slip in real time, producing tactile data that physical-AI models can learn from.
Products and solutions
Full series of bionic visuo-tactile sensors (<3mm thick), full-stack visuo-tactile solutions with dexterous-hand force visualization, tactile data-collection systems and datasets, universal tactile-encoding algorithm modules, a multimodal tactile-vision-language model layer. Legacy line: microfluidic and micro-spectral water-quality sensors (Ecomo).
Unique value
Company claims the world's thinnest mass-producible bionic visuo-tactile sensor (<3mm). Claimed specs: 0.005N force resolution, 5M+ press lifetime, and up to ~240,000 sensing points. Company says it is already in volume production and batch delivery while many rivals remain at the sampling stage.
Target customer
Humanoid and robot makers, dexterous-hand builders, embodied-AI data-collection operators, and industrial users in automotive, pharmaceutical and food production. Earlier customers were home-appliance makers.
Industries served
Robotics / embodied AI, automotive, pharmaceuticals, food production, smart home appliances, environmental monitoring
Technology advantage
Optical tactile sensing built on in-house micro-spectral and sensing-chip know-how dating from 2016. Combines mass-production capability with a three-layer stack (sensor hardware, universal tactile encoding, multimodal tactile model), positioning it as physical-AI infrastructure.
How they differentiate
Uses optical visuo-tactile sensing rather than Hall-effect or piezoresistive approaches. Its thinner form factor (<3mm) fits inside dexterous hands. Pairs hardware with tactile datasets and a model layer, backed by a longer manufacturing history in sensing chips.
Main competitors
DM Robotics (戴盟机器人), PaXini (帕西尼), Tashan Technology (他山科技), Qianjue Robotics (千觉机器人)
Key partnerships
Stanford University (TouchNet open-source tactile dataset project), Boyuan Capital (Bosch-backed strategic investor), Songlin Technology (A-share listed industrial investor), TCL
Notable customers
Xiaomi, Midea, Joyoung, Unilever (reported for its earlier sensing and water-monitoring solutions). Robotics customers undisclosed.
Major milestones
2015: Ecomo brand founded in Silicon Valley. May 2016: Shenzhen Yimu (Ecomo) Technology incorporated. 2025: pivot to embodied-AI visuo-tactile sensing, Series D (Jan) and D+ (Dec). Jul 2026: Series E above ¥1B at WAIC 2026, valuation above ¥10B. Oct 2026: named to the 2026 AI Cloud 100 China list (Physical AI).
Growth metrics
Post-money valuation above ¥10B (~$1.4B) after the Jul 2026 Series E. Three funding rounds between Jan 2025 and Jul 2026. Mass production and batch deliveries reported; shipment volumes and revenue undisclosed. CEO reported a marked rise in tactile-data demand in H1 2026.
Market positioning
Chinese embodied-AI tactile-sensing unicorn, with post-money valuation above ¥10B after the Jul 2026 Series E. Named Physical AI representative on the 2026 AI Cloud 100 China list.
Geographic focus
China-focused, with international research collaboration (Stanford) and USD fund backing
Patents and IP
Co-applicant on published Chinese patent application CN122016138A, “视触觉传感器及其感知方法” (visual-tactile sensor and sensing method), filed December 18, 2025 and published May 12, 2026. Other applicants are Nanjing Yimu Intelligent Technology and Yimu Sensing Shenzhen Technology. This is a published application, not confirmation of a granted patent.
About Li Zhiqiang (Eric Li, 李智强)
Founder of Ecomo (smart water-quality hardware brand, Silicon Valley, 2015). Carnegie Mellon University PhD in Environmental Engineering; Tongji University BS in Environmental Engineering. Has 15-20+ years of R&D in AI/big-data models, microfluidic biosensors and spectral chips.
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Official website: https://www.yimu.info