Link-Touch has completed a Series C+ funding round of more than RMB 100 million (USD 14.6 million), with joint investment from Puquan Capital, Agibot, Galbot, OPT Machine Vision, Galaxy Yuanhui Investment, and other institutions. Puquan is affiliated with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL).

This marks the third funding round of more than RMB 100 million that the company has completed over the past year.

Link-Touch focuses on robot force sensors. It has developed four platform-level technologies, covering high-performance elastomer design, embedded hardware circuitry, high-precision structural decoupling algorithms, and six-axis synchronous calibration. These form a diversified product portfolio that includes force sensors for humanoid robots, general-purpose force sensors, integrated force control solutions, and hybrid robotic workstations.

With performance metrics including 0.1% full-scale accuracy, high-frequency response above ten kilohertz, and 500% overload resistance, Link-Touch said it has broken the technological dominance of overseas vendors and secured volume orders from robotics companies including Agibot, Xiaomi, Xpeng, Galbot, EngineAI, UBTech Robotics, Galaxea AI, and the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics.

According to a 2025 report by Marketing Intelligence Resource (MIR) on China’s humanoid robot six-axis force sensor market, Link-Touch held about 62% market share in 2024, with the figure expected to rise to 70% in 2025. Meanwhile, analysis by Gaogong Robotics shows its market share already reached 72.6% in the first three quarters of 2025.

Since early this year, CATL has appeared frequently as an investor in embodied intelligence companies. In addition to investing in robot manufacturers, it is extending its presence across the supply chain. Force sensors, as core components for force control and end-effector control, have become a key focus.

Beyond capital, the two sides are expected to deepen cooperation in several areas. CATL can provide customer resources through its existing investments in robotics companies. Its experience in component manufacturing may offer operational guidance. As an end user, it also has industrial use cases that can support product deployment.

In addition to industrial investors, this round includes two of Link-Touch’s customers: Agibot and Galbot. Their participation reflects a broader industry view that the application of large models in humanoid robots depends heavily on force control capabilities, making force sensors a core component. As key users, both companies have validated Link-Touch’s technical performance and delivery capacity through long-term deployment.

Founder Liu Wuyue explained the importance of force control from two perspectives:

  • First, the absolute positioning accuracy of robotic arms is limited. Components such as harmonic drive reducers and connecting rods can deform or contain gaps, and consistency across robotic systems is lower than in traditional industrial robots. This creates deviations between theoretical and actual positions.
  • Second, vision systems are also constrained by flexible components and can be affected by lighting conditions, leading to recognition and positioning errors. In practice, vision and robotic arms enable coarse positioning, while precise manipulation depends on force sensing and control.

Force sensing also plays a role in training robot foundation models. Due to limited real-world robot data, training often combines simulation and physical data. Compared with position and motion trajectory data, force sensing data is more difficult to simulate.

“Force sensing data involves the rigidity of the object being contacted and the flexible components of the robotic arm. There are many nonlinear and inconsistent factors, which makes it harder to model. That is a core area where later-stage training must rely on real-robot data and large-scale operation,” Liu said.

In real-world applications, conditions are more complex. Link-Touch’s next focus is to work with customers on large-scale, scenario-based deployment. “Scenario-based deployment means applying force control at scale. In that process, new customer demands will emerge, which will in turn create new requirements for sensors and force control,” Liu said.

He added that although robotic joints may share similar specifications, different hardware systems require tailored solutions. With its existing customer base and deployment scale, Link-Touch aims to better track demand and meet higher performance requirements.

On the market side, humanoid robots are expanding faster than expected. An IDC report shows global shipments reached about 18,000 units in 2025, up about 508% year-on-year, with Chinese manufacturers leading. Morgan Stanley has raised its forecast for China’s humanoid robot sales in 2026 from 14,000 units to 28,000 units and expects sales to reach 262,000 units by 2030.

As embodied intelligence and robotics advance, Link-Touch has reported three consecutive years of revenue doubling and has achieved profitability. The company expects shipments in 2026 to reach about 400,000 sets of joint force sensors and 30,000 to 40,000 sets of six-axis force sensors.

Link-Touch has established a production base of more than 10,000 square meters in Guangdong, enabling automated manufacturing of force sensors. Utilization of its first-phase fully automated production line has reached nearly 90%. By replicating its production lines, the company aims to reach an annual capacity of one million joint force sensors and 200,000 end-effector six-axis force sensors, while reducing delivery lead times to about two weeks.

Looking ahead, Liu said Link-Touch will increase investment in next-generation force control sensors with higher precision and integration to meet demand from large-scale humanoid robot production. It also plans to expand cooperation across the robotics and automotive supply chains and to grow its presence in overseas markets while refining its domestic strategy.

KrASIA features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Zhang Bingbing for 36Kr.

Note: RMB figures are converted to USD at rates of RMB 6.83 = USD 1 based on estimates as of April 15, 2026, unless otherwise stated. USD conversions are presented for ease of reference and may not fully match prevailing exchange rates.