Providing machines with unprecedented “tactile capabilities”.
In the tide of technological advancements, a young man is rowing hard against the current.
Before founding MoXian Technology, Kuang Zheng (founder of X-MAN, alumni of the 11th cohort) was an engineer at DJI.
During the development of an educational robot project, Kuang Zheng encountered a frustrating problem—how to achieve blind-spot-free, multi-point collision perception in large curved surface scenarios?
“Flexible tactile sensors seemed like a natural solution at first, but at that time, the costs were high, and the performance, appearance, and assembly methods could not meet product design requirements,” Kuang Zheng recalled.
“What we wanted was a sensor that could integrate better with the product. It needed to be thin, flexible, and not only able to sense the presence and position of objects but also provide timely feedback when pressure is applied, thus truly enhancing the product’s intelligence and user experience. However, we couldn’t find a suitable solution on the market.”
When the market lacks ideal products, it often indicates an underexplored area, a “blank space.” These blank spaces are often fertile ground for business opportunities.
Kuang Zheng keenly sensed this and began to explore this new type of sensor.
The essence of sensing is the conversion of physical quantities, and resistance is the most common and universal type. “The monitoring cost of this type of signal is low, it is less susceptible to interference, and there are many applications and supporting technologies available on the market, making it an ideal dependent variable. We were greatly inspired by a semiconductor principle, where the stretching deformation of this material significantly changes its resistance and has good plasticity.” This characteristic sparked an idea—if this effect could be applied to tactile sensors, it might create a brand new product.
From principle verification to multiple iterations of rough prototypes and then to mass production, the team underwent numerous trials and failures. Years of investment eventually led to the successful development of a flexible pressure sensor based on new materials.
This sensor is easy to produce and performs exceptionally well. It can accurately sense minute pressure changes, providing machines with unprecedented “tactile capabilities.” More importantly, this sensor has high flexibility and plasticity, allowing it to adapt to many complex application scenarios, effectively solving previous demand pain points and bringing new possibilities to more downstream industries.
After achieving breakthroughs in technology development, Kuang Zheng began to consider how to bring the product to market. He understood that as a technology-intensive product, the flexible pressure sensor faced many challenges in initial market promotion. Therefore, he chose to start at the Huaqiangbei market, seeking advice from “the most business-savvy people.”
“Huaqiangbei is a great entry point because these industries have a good tolerance for new technologies, and rapidly iterating products are very helpful for validating business models,” Kuang Zheng explained. “By collaborating with these industry leaders, we can quickly validate the product’s performance and market potential, laying the groundwork for more stringent customer requirements in the future.”
This strategy proved successful; MoXian’s tactile sensors quickly completed initial market validation and were rapidly promoted in various smart products.
However, more versatile tactile sensors represent the true blue ocean, and only by allowing more people to personally experience the convenience and fun brought by technology can we truly promote the popularization and iteration of tactile sensors.
Therefore, they began to lay out a complete chain related to tactile sensors, planning to launch a series of solutions aimed at downstream customers to help them quickly realize product implementation.
“Tactile sensors will become a general category of sensors, gradually appearing around us,” Kuang Zheng said confidently about the future. “We hope to allow more people to enjoy the beautiful life brought by technology.”
Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey, Kuang Zheng expressed deep feelings. He admitted that entrepreneurship is a challenging road that requires unwavering belief and continuous innovative spirit. In this process, one must learn how to find a balance between technology, market, and team, and how to remain calm and optimistic when facing difficulties and setbacks.
“Entrepreneurship is really not an easy task, especially for a young team like ours,” Kuang Zheng said with emotion. “Technical challenges, funding pressure, cost control, market competition… every aspect is full of challenges. But it is precisely these challenges that provide the team with opportunities for continuous growth and make our progress more determined and effortless.”
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