Flexible secondary battery manufacturing startup Libest (CEO Kim Joo-seong) has joined hands with humanoid robotics manufacturing startup Mandro (CEO Sang-ho Lee) to participate in the International Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas, USA on January 2, 2023. It was announced on the 1st that a metaverse device using Best’s flexible secondary battery will be unveiled for the first time.
The two companies, which have something in common as high-tech startups, have been focusing on developing products for a better world in different fields.
Libest has focused on developing and manufacturing flexible and safe lithium secondary battery solutions installed in metaverse devices, while Mandro has focused on designing and manufacturing customized electronic prosthetic hands through robot manufacturing technology and ultra-small motor and reducer technology.
The synergy effect of combining the two companies’ technologies on the major topic of Metaverse was sufficient. There has been progress at the device stage, such as applying Libest’s flexible secondary battery to an electronic prosthetic hand manufactured by Mandro.
Both companies will introduce more future-oriented products at CES 2023. The main products on display are △Exo-Sensor Glove; △Exo-Skeleton Glove, a motion controller that gives movement commands to a wirelessly connected robot arm; These include external skeletal gloves that help you move with greater force, and electronic prosthetic hands with flexible secondary batteries.
Previously, such products could be seen at various Metaverse-related exhibitions, but by applying flexible secondary batteries, the fit and usability were significantly improved compared to existing devices. In particular, the Exo-Sensor Glove is a device that resembles a virtual glove worn by extending to the fingers, wrist, and forearm. It is modularized into the form of a ring and bracelet and connected wirelessly.
Each module is not only smaller and slimmer, but is also designed to be naturally free-sized so that it is not limited by the thickness of the fingers and wrists of various users, so that it can be conveniently worn and operated. It was the result of combining Libest’s flexible battery design and production technology with Mandro’s custom robot production know-how.
Currently, it has been implemented to the point where even the robot arm can be controlled using short-distance communication. In the future, beyond the virtual world of VR/AR, we plan to improve the ability to recognize user motions and control specific devices even on the other side of the world.
Libest CEO Kim Joo-seong said, “Our company has been developing and improving secondary batteries suitable for wearable devices for Metaverse. “Through the device developed this time, our goal is to implement the concept of the metaverse, which is not limited to VR or AR, but becomes my world online wherever I am,” he said, adding, “I, connected to the metaverse, can become a specific robot on the other side of the world. “If we can drive and control it, that alone will create new opportunities and great value in the near future,” he said, expressing his thoughts on the concept of this CES exhibition.
Meanwhile, the products can be viewed and experienced at the Seoul Business Agency pavilion located in the North Hall of the CES Las Vegas Convention Center.