Loomia Technologies, Inc.
Brooklyn e-textile firm whose Loomia Electronic Layer flexible circuits form tactile skins for robot hands and grippers; being acquired by Korea's Unichem.
Loomia Technologies, Inc. is a soft-electronics company based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2014 by Stanford engineering graduate Madison Maxey. Its core technology is the Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL), a thin, drapable flexible circuit that can be bonded to or laminated into fabric, leather and other soft materials to provide heating, pressure sensing, switches and other human-machine interface functions, antennas and cabling. The LEL first found commercial use in automotive interiors: Loomia was selected by seat-belt and seating supplier Sabelt as the seat-heating supplier for a Volkswagen Group vehicle programme. Robotics and AR/VR are listed among its target industries alongside automotive and wearables.
In robotics Loomia applies the LEL to tactile skins for robot hands, grippers and outer shells. A published case study describes a tactile sensing glove built for Festo's pneumatic robotic hand: a force-sensitive resistor matrix with 131 sensing points across the palm, every fingertip and the spaces between the knuckles, laminated into a close-fitting stretch-knit glove that had to accommodate finger inflation during grasping. Loomia evaluated more than 30 FSR materials, built five partial-hand and three full-hand prototypes and delivered 13 PCB layout options to Festo's engineers.
The company sells the Loomia Smart Skin Tactile Sensing Developer Kit, priced at 9,800 US dollars and aimed at humanoid and dexterous-robotics teams that want to evaluate soft pressure sensors. The kit contains a three-finger capacitive pressure glove, capacitive tactile sensors, mini and mega resistive pressure matrices, single sensors in peel-and-stick and standard versions, a static weight test kit, an Arduino and Arduino, Python and visualiser software. Published figures give a 2.5 mm minimum feature size, 1 mm thick capacitive sensors measuring 0.01 to 1.0 N at 100 Hz with 0.55 percent drift over an hour, and 0.5 mm thick resistive sensors from 0.1 N to at least 5 N at 10 Hz; the capacitive parts are intended for curved, low-force surfaces and the resistive parts for grippers, feet and palms. The first production run sold out and the kit is currently waitlisted. Loomia is a member of the NSF HAND Engineering Research Center consortium on robotic dexterity, whose members include Meta and Amazon Robotics, and says it is in development discussions with US robotics companies on physical-AI tactile sensing and on sensorised gloves for collecting robot training data.
In August 2026 Korean materials and automotive leather company Unichem, founded in 1976 and based in Ansan, announced that it would acquire 100 percent of Loomia for about 8.6 billion won (around 6 million US dollars), paid in cash, Unichem shares and an earn-out, through a reverse triangular merger with a new Unichem subsidiary, with completion expected on 15 October 2026. Madison Maxey and Unichem chief science officer Kim Han-joo are to serve as co-CEOs, with Ezgi Ucar remaining CTO. Alongside the deal Loomia is co-developing with automotive Tier 1 supplier R&Y Corp. a sensor that detects both normal pressure and shear force, with a first engineering sample planned for January 2027, and Unichem intends to extend the technology to humanoid robot hands and large-area electronic skin.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Loomia Smart Skin Tactile Sensing Developer Kit
Evaluation kit of capacitive and resistive soft pressure sensors, 3-finger glove and software for humanoid and dexterous-hand teams testing robot tactile skin.
Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL)
Thin, drapable flexible circuit laminated into fabric or leather for pressure sensing (FSR), switches/HMI, heating and cabling; basis of Loomia's robot skins.
Tactile sensing glove for Festo pneumatic robotic hand
Custom stretch-knit glove with a 131-point FSR tactile matrix over palm, fingertips and knuckles, built on LEL for Festo's soft robotic hand.
Pressure and shear tactile sensor (with R&Y Corp.)
Co-developed soft sensor detecting both normal pressure and shear force for robot hands and e-skin; first engineering sample planned January 2027.
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Contact Loomia Technologies, Inc.
WEBSITE
https://www.loomia.comHEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
2014
Primary Role
Component Supplier
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
Subsidiary / Acquired
Funding Total
-
Keywords
- Loomia Technologies
- Inc.
- Loomia
- Loomia Electronic Layer
- e-textile circuit
- electronic skin
- tactile sensing glove
- force-sensitive resistor matrix
- capacitive pressure sensor
- robot hand tactile skin
- shear force sensor
- Component Supplier
- Manufacturer
- Perception & Vision
- End-effector & Grasping
- Manufacturing
- Education & Research
- Research Platform
- Automotive
