Wonik Robotics, a robotics automation company, is accelerating new product development in line with its investment from the National Growth Fund.

Wonik Robotics has launched the Allegro Hand V6 F (V6 F), a new 5-finger, 20-degree-of-freedom (DoF) articulated robotic hand. V6 F expands the Allegro Hand lineup from its previous 4-finger architecture to a 5-finger design and combines pressure sensing that detects contact across the hand with control functions that users can select according to their application requirements. Rather than simply increasing the number of fingers, V6 F is designed as a platform capable of acquiring the data required for complex manipulation and Physical AI training.

The launch comes in conjunction with a recently confirmed equity investment plan totaling KRW 350 billion. Wonik Robotics plans to invest KRW 150 billion from the National Growth Fund’s Advanced Strategic Industry Fund and KRW 200 billion from private investors to establish a robotic hand manufacturing facility and an AX Center in Wanju, Jeollabuk-do. Based on this investment, the company plans to strengthen its robotic hand mass-production capabilities, in-house production of key components, Physical AI research and development, and data factory infrastructure.

The 5-finger architecture provides users with a broader range of applications in humanoid and AI-based manipulation environments. Building on the precision manipulation technology developed through its previous 4-finger models, V6 F adds a fifth finger and a total of 20 DoF, enabling a wider variety of grasping postures and contact points. The overall size has also been reduced by more than 20% compared with the previous generation, resulting in a more compact design. When integrated into humanoid robots, the smaller form factor makes the hand easier to apply to tools and working environments designed for human use. This makes it easier to handle tasks such as enveloping objects of different sizes and shapes or changing grasping postures, while enabling more natural integration into teleoperation and imitation learning environments designed around the human hand.

Full-Hand Sensing expands the robotic hand from a “moving device” into a “platform for acquiring contact data.” Pressure sensors are positioned across key contact areas, including the Fingertips, Finger Joints, and Palm, allowing users to identify the location and timing of contact with an object as well as changes in pressure during grasping and manipulation. Visual feedback is also provided at the fingertips, where light indicates contact, enabling operators and developers to intuitively identify the grasping status. The acquired data can be used to analyze and correct grasping successes and failures, develop manipulation algorithms, and build datasets for AI training and evaluation. Wonik Robotics plans to add various sensor options in the future and develop the V6 product family into data acquisition platforms tailored to different applications.

The control system has also been newly developed to allow users to select control methods according to their systems and task requirements. Users can select either Current or Position as the command input, enabling the hand to be integrated according to existing controller and software architectures. With a Current command, actuator driving force is adjusted based on the input current value, making it suitable for tasks requiring precise force control. With a Position command, users input the target angle of each joint, and the actuator is controlled to rotate to that angle, enabling the desired posture to be reproduced repeatedly. This provides users with greater flexibility in system design and easier integration.

Stiffness Control is a technology that allows the robotic hand to increase or reduce its rigidity depending on the situation. When grasping heavy or rigid objects, the hand can become stiffer to maintain a stable grip, while when handling fragile objects such as glassware, it can reduce force for a gentler grasp. In tasks where the hand may come into contact with people or surrounding objects, it can absorb impact for safer movement. Just as a human hand adjusts force according to the object and situation, the key principle is enabling the robotic hand to change its response according to the task.

For system integration, Modbus communication is supported, allowing users to connect V6 F with a wide range of robotic and automation systems and reducing the integration burden when expanding a research-stage robotic hand into a complete system. To enhance control stability, friction and temperature compensation algorithms are also applied. These algorithms minimize control errors that may occur due to changes in friction and temperature during operation, enabling consistent hand movements even under varying operating conditions.

The launch of V6 F is expected to serve as an opportunity to expand both Korea’s robotic component and mass-production infrastructure and the global Physical AI research ecosystem. Building on the Allegro Hand ecosystem, which has been used by more than 180 research partners, Wonik Robotics plans to strengthen its domestic infrastructure for key robotic hand components, data, and mass production, while globally expanding the application of a common hardware platform for humanoid robotics, teleoperation, and AI manipulation research. The company also plans to launch the Allegro Hand V6 V, featuring a Vision-based Tactile Sensor, expanding the V6 lineup so that users can select sensor configurations according to their specific tasks.

Mincheol Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of the Robotic Hand Division at Wonik Robotics, said, “For robots to reliably grasp and manipulate a wide variety of objects, sensing technologies that detect contact with objects and technologies that precisely control the hand are essential. V6 F was developed for use across a wide range of robotic environments—from research and development to humanoid robotics and industrial automation—based on pressure sensing across key contact areas, precise control, and system connectivity.”