[Edaily Reporter Shin Ha-yeon ] UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD(011330)has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in Loomia Technologies, a U.S.-based flexible electronics technology company, and is set to expand its robotic electronic skin business.

UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD announced on the 12th that it had signed a definitive agreement for the acquisition with key parties, including Loomia’s founder. The purchase price is up to $6.3 million, and the transaction is scheduled to close on January 4, 2027. However, the agreement will not take full legal effect until certain conditions precedent are met, including signatures from remaining shareholders and approval by the Bank of Korea under the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.

This agreement includes terms regarding payment of the purchase price, a commitment to retain key personnel, and performance-based compensation tied to securing mass-production orders in the robotics and automotive sectors.

Specifically, if the company achieves its mass production order targets—1,000 units annually in the robotics sector and 3,000 units annually in the automotive sector—by December 30, 2028, it will issue performance-linked convertible bonds totaling up to $1 million, with $500,000 allocated to each sector.

The issuance of convertible bonds is also contingent upon the fulfillment of contractual preconditions. The company explains that this structure is designed to boost the commercialization motivation of key personnel by using a client’s adoption of mass production and the securing of supply volumes as performance-based compensation criteria.

Lumia is a company that utilizes flexible electronics technology to incorporate pressure sensing, heating, and touch functions into materials. Based on its proprietary “LEL” technology, the company possesses electronic skin technology capable of implementing pressure sensing, heating, and touch functions in robotic hands, grippers, and outer shells.

UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD plans to combine the capabilities it has accumulated in its existing material manufacturing and processing business—such as leather for automotive seats—with Lumia’s flexible electronics technology. Through this, the company aims to expand its business in electronic skin for robotic hands, grippers, and exoskeletons, as well as in smart automotive interior materials, and to pursue product validation and mass production orders from clients.

Lumia is also participating as an industry partner in “HAND ERC,” a research consortium on robotic hands and precision manipulation technologies supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Global technology companies such as Meta, Google DeepMind, and Amazon Robotics are members of this consortium, conducting research on robotic hand sensing, actuation, and AI-based manipulation technologies.

Plans have also been established to retain key personnel following the acquisition. Under the terms of the agreement, key personnel—including Madison Maxi, Lumia’s founder and CEO—will remain employed for at least three years from the effective date of the merger.

Additionally, CEO Maxey and Monroe Kennedy III, director of Stanford University’s Robotics Research Lab (ARM Lab), are nominated as candidates for the board of directors at UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for the 27th. If the board appointment proposal is approved, UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD plans to leverage research capabilities in robotic tactile sensing and manipulation, along with its experience in commercializing flexible electronics, to advance technology validation and commercialization.

An UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD official stated, “Including mass production order conditions in this contract reflects our commitment to translating technology into actual business results,” adding, “By combining Lumia’s core technology with UNI CHEM.CO.,LTD’s materials and mass production capabilities, we will drive product adoption and delivery to robotics customers and demonstrate our growth potential through sales.”