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LPTech Co., Ltd. Sets Its Sights on Becoming a Global Robotics Company with Its Teaching-less Gripper

CEO Park Hyung soon: “Our Vision Is to Expand into Integrated Solutions Combining Vision, Robot Arms, and Grippers”

 

[Digital Today 2026]

Automation in manufacturing is accelerating rapidly. As labor costs rise and workforce shortages intensify, the adoption of industrial robots continues to expand. At the heart of these robots lies the “hand” — the gripper, which is responsible for picking, placing, and transferring products.

Although the role of a gripper may appear simple, real-world manufacturing environments are complex. With high-mix, low-volume production becoming the norm, robots must handle products of varying sizes and shapes. Conventional grippers rely on expensive sensors to detect objects and require complex programming for control. Each time a product changes, the process must be repeated, increasing costs and implementation time. As a result, small and medium-sized manufacturers often fall behind in automation adoption.

A startup that has addressed this challenge through software is LPTech Co., Ltd., led by CEO Park Hyung soon. The company has developed a sensorless “Teaching-less Gripper” capable of freely handling objects of various sizes and weights without relying on costly sensors.

Park explained:

“Instead of sensors, we implemented recognition and control through software technology. Because we eliminated expensive sensors while maintaining performance, our solution has drawn attention not only domestically but also overseas.”

Teaching-less Gripper Powered by Software Innovation

LPTech’s teaching-less gripper adopts a fundamentally different structure from conventional products. Rather than detecting object size through high-cost sensors and relying on repeated programming, LPTech combines unique mechanical design with advanced software to enable automatic gripping of various object sizes—without sensors.

Park elaborated:

“Just as humans rely on tactile sensation at their fingertips when grasping objects, robots must recognize when they have successfully gripped a product. Traditional grippers use very expensive fingertip sensors. We use software technology to achieve the same functionality without costly hardware.”

As a result, LPTech maintains high-end performance while dramatically reducing implementation costs. The heavy cost burden associated with recalibrating sensors and reprogramming for each component in high-mix production environments has effectively been eliminated.

Another flagship product, the anti-vibration gripper, significantly reduces residual vibrations that occur when a robotic arm stops moving, enabling high-precision operations. By effectively controlling micro-vibrations generated in high-speed logistics transport and precision manufacturing processes, it improves productivity and lowers defect rates.

The foundation of the teaching-less gripper lies in Park’s field experience and technical background. With 10 years in technical sales and five years as a research director, Park gained firsthand insight into customer needs and operational pain points.

“When building smart factories, robotic fingers were often the bottleneck. Since smart factories require significant capital investment, we decided to start by addressing the most difficult component — the robotic finger,” he said.

This field-driven innovation has become LPTech’s competitive advantage.

External recognition has followed. LPTech recently received the Ministerial Award from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for its teaching-less gripper technology. The company was also selected for the 2025 Startup-Centered University Program, supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development and organized by Hanyang University, where it was recognized as an outstanding company.

Validated in Europe, Aiming for Global Leadership

LPTech’s traction extends beyond Korea. In November last year, the company conducted proof-of-concept (PoC) trials in four major European markets—France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It secured a sample PoC order worth approximately KRW 50 million from a French company. In Germany, LPTech successfully completed product exports and finalized payment, marking tangible revenue achievements.

Park noted:

“We are receiving a large number of inquiries from overseas. From June through November, I am almost constantly abroad, engaging in business activities across Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.”

Given Europe’s position as a global leader in robotics automation, this achievement demonstrates that the technology of a Korean research-based startup meets global standards.

Field-Centered R&D and Integrated Robotics Vision

Park attributes LPTech’s strength to its field-centered R&D approach. The company operates an Agile system in which feedback from field engineers is incorporated into development in real time. From the early stages of product design, direct input from on-site engineers is reflected, enabling rapid improvements based on actual usage environments.

“By listening directly to the challenges faced by field engineers, we understand what is truly needed. As a small organization, we can respond quickly with customized solutions tailored to specific customer environments,” Park emphasized.

LPTech’s current major clients include semiconductor equipment manufacturers, secondary battery companies, and logistics firms.

Looking ahead, LPTech’s vision is clear. While the company currently focuses on grippers, it ultimately plans to expand into integrated solutions combining the three core elements of industrial robotics: vision (eyes), robot arms (arms), and grippers (fingers).

Park stated:

“A robot must see with its eyes, move with its arms, and grasp with its fingers. Since global companies dominate the robot arm market, our next-generation vision is to integrate our gripper and vision systems with globally available robot arms to deliver a comprehensive solution.”

In the short term, LPTech aims to expand exports to Europe and Southeast Asia while increasing its share of Korea’s core automation market. In the long term, the company seeks to grow into a KRW 100 billion global robotics enterprise, bringing robotics technologies to manufacturing sites worldwide.

Source : DigitalToday(https://www.digitaltoday.co.kr)