Physical artificial intelligence (AI) robotics startup Diden Robotics is seeking new investments of around 100 billion KRW (about 68.5 million USD). The company is ramping up its business expansion, leveraging its industrial quadrupedal robot, the Diden Spider, which has gained significant attention after appearing in NVIDIA’s GTC keynote presentations.
Industry insiders report that Diden Robotics is pursuing a Series A funding round. The pre-money valuation is estimated at 400 billion KRW (about 273.8 million USD), with a post-investment valuation projected to reach 500 billion KRW (about 342.3 million USD). The company plans to allocate the raised funds towards mass production of the Diden Spider and the development of next-generation robots.
The Diden Spider is a quadrupedal robot that employs electromagnetic permanent magnet (EPM) technology. It can navigate floors, walls, and ceilings of steel structures, performing high-risk tasks such as welding and inspection.
Diden Robotics has conducted trials with South Korea’s three major shipyards, with some sites reportedly placing orders and generating revenue. The shipbuilding industry, facing labor shortages, an aging workforce, and stricter safety regulations, is seen as a sector with high demand for robotic solutions.
The company is also making strides in the global market. The Diden Spider was featured in the NVIDIA GTC 2026 keynote in San Jose this March and again at the GTC Taipei 2026 event in June. Diden Robotics also set up a booth at the Computex Taipei 2026 NVIDIA Inception Pavilion, further boosting its international profile.
As a member of NVIDIA Inception and a partner in the physical AI ecosystem, Diden Robotics is implementing NVIDIA’s physical AI roadmap in its industrial robot development process.
Diden Robotics was founded in March 2024 by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kim Jun-ha and four researchers from KAIST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Humanoid Robotics Research Center. The startup’s goal has been to create market-ready robots, with a focus on the shipbuilding industry. Sources indicate that the company is currently preparing to establish a production facility in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province.
Alongside its core business, Diden Robotics is venturing into humanoid robot development. The company is collaborating with human motion AI startup Moobin to create a learning dataset based on real human movement data.
The Diden humanoid robot under development aims to stand 175 cm (about 5’74 ft) tall, weigh 90 kg (about 198 lbs), and have a continuous payload capacity of 30 kg (about 66 lbs). The company plans to demonstrate its capabilities at the upcoming RoboWorld event in November.
Kim Jun-ha, CEO of Diden Robotics, stated that the partnership with Moobin has allowed them to acquire data specifically optimized for robot hardware. It’s committed to enhancing the learning systems to directly apply this data in the robot development process.