Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Area Wending Investment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CATL, has taken a stake in Suzhou ZingTech Technology Co., Ltd. The business registration changes have been completed.
ZingTech provides sensor solutions based on piezoelectric materials, with applications covering intelligent robots, smart wearables, new energy, and lithium batteries. In the context of electronic skin, it addresses the most critical layer of tactile sensing—converting pressure and deformation into electrical signals readable by robots.
In July 2026, Wending Investment also took a stake in humanoid robot company RoboParty; prior to this, CATL-affiliated capital had already appeared in funding rounds for robot bodies. This direct investment in an electronic skin enterprise points to a more specific rationale: tactile sensing is one of the foundational hardware components enabling robots to transition from "mobility" to "manipulation."
01、The Electronic Skin Market: Numbers Are Harder Than Before
Previously, in "Who Is Dividing the CNY 9 Billion Electronic Skin Market?", [Hangjiashuo Robot] noted that as humanoid robots enter mass production in 2026, tactile sensing has shifted from an "optional add-on" to a "mandatory component." Placing key figures side by side now gives this judgment a more concrete scale.
On the demand side, citing industry forecasts reported by CNR (China National Radio), the domestic demand for electronic skin in humanoid robots will reach 1.525 million square meters by 2030, corresponding to a market size of approximately CNY 27.4 billion. Industry statistics show that domestic shipments of electronic skin for humanoid robots were 17,000 sets in 2024 and are expected to reach 61,000 sets in 2025. The ramp-up curve of shipment volumes better illustrates what is happening in the industry than market size projections alone.
The cost side is also sending signals. Basic standard electronic skin costs around the hundred-yuan level per set, while high-performance versions adapted for embodied AI model training reach the thousand-yuan level; a single robot typically uses 6 to 8 sets, bringing the total cost to over CNY 5,000. The industry generally expects "volume increases while prices drop," but the prerequisite is first achieving volume.
Order signals are even more direct. Fullay New Materials' backlog of tactile sensing-related orders reached hundreds of thousands of sets in 2026, whereas deliveries in December 2025 were only at the thousand-set level. Huaweike's market share for humanoid robot electronic skin exceeds 70%, with over 18,000 dexterous hands equipped in 2025, making it the first company in the industry to achieve ten-thousand-unit mass production. Electronic skin moving from the laboratory to the production line is no longer just a story.
02、ZingTech's Strategic Positioning
Two keywords: depth in materials, depth in scenarios.
At the material level, it follows the PVDF piezoelectric route. PVDF is flexible, bendable, has wide frequency response, and is lightweight, representing one of the mainstream material paths for electronic skin. However, few teams simultaneously master the core formulation and manufacturing process. ZingTech independently masters the core PVDF formulation and has established a complete manufacturing process, making it one of the few domestic teams with experience in PVDF mass production.
At the scale level, its intelligent piezoelectric sensor modules shipped over 10 million units in 2025, with expectations to further increase to over 20 million units in 2026, placing it in a leading position in the niche market. In the direction of robot electronic skin, PVDF-based flexible tactile sensors have achieved small-batch shipments to some top-tier customers, with gradual volume expansion expected as capacity is released.
A detail easily overlooked but worth noting is that ZingTech's piezoelectric and ultrasonic technologies simultaneously address lithium battery safety scenarios. The developed flexible ultrasonic monitoring solution can be embedded inside batteries for real-time monitoring during production and use. Cooperation with leading domestic lithium battery companies has already begun, with mass production conditions expected within two to three years. This means the connection between ZingTech and CATL extends beyond robotic tactile sensing to the core scenario of battery safety, which is central to CATL's main business.
03、This Investment Differs from Ordinary Financial Investments
If viewed solely through the lens of robot electronic skin, CATL's investment in ZingTech can be understood as positioning itself in the perception layer of embodied AI. But incorporating the line of lithium battery inspection clarifies the logic further: ZingTech's ultrasonic sensing capabilities can directly serve CATL's battery manufacturing and safety monitoring, while CATL's industrial resources and scenario entry points can conversely accelerate ZingTech's mass production ramp-up in the electronic skin direction.
The electronic skin sector currently lacks neither direction nor market forecasts. The figure of CNY 27.4 billion by 2030 is there, but what is truly scarce is the engineering capability to move from samples to large-scale mass production, along with validation opportunities in real-world scenarios. ZingTech has a foundation in materials and modules, and the target of doubling shipment volumes in 2026 serves as a verification milestone; CATL possesses scenarios and industrial resources. The highlight of this investment lies in connecting two seemingly separate lines—robotic tactile sensing and battery safety—through the same piezoelectric/ultrasonic technology base.
As for how much volume electronic skin will ultimately achieve in humanoid robots, it still depends on the mass production rhythm of OEMs and actual orders. We will continue to track this development.
This article is compiled based on publicly available online information, for reference only, and does not constitute investment advice.