Dental Robotics, a startup developing autonomous suction robots for dental use, announced on the 18th that it has secured seed investment from AI Angel Club, CNTech, People Investment, and DHP (Digital Healthcare Partners). Based on this investment, Dental Robotics plans to further advance its robot system and accelerate clinical validation and medical device licensing procedures.
Dental Robotics assists dentists by supporting suction tasks during treatment. It aligns 3D CBCT (dental CT) and intraoral scanner data to map each patient's oral cavity with 100-micrometer accuracy, while vision AI recognizes the intraoral environment—including saliva, blood, teeth, and gums—in real time, enabling a six-axis robotic arm to autonomously locate suction positions.
The alignment accuracy of 3D CT, scan, and vision camera data is below 0.25mm, and it achieved a 98.6% alignment success rate across 210 test cases. For safety, the robot's end-effector is equipped with a pressure sensor capable of detecting forces from 50g upward, incorporating a triple-layer safety structure that determines whether to avoid contact or perform suction based on contact type and includes current cutoff functionality.
Dental Robotics was founded by co-CEOs Kim Nam-gyun, a practicing dentist, and Eom Se-hyun, a computer engineering expert. They developed the robot and launched the company after recognizing shortages of support staff such as dental hygienists in dental clinics and their excessive workloads. According to the company, dental hygienists spend an average of 2.5 hours daily on suction tasks.
Dental Robotics first unveiled its robot last May and is currently conducting clinical collaboration with Song In-seok of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Team at Korea University Anam Hospital to verify safety and efficacy. Starting with domestic Class 2 medical device licensing, the company aims to sequentially obtain digital medical device certification and overseas certifications, targeting a formal market launch in 2028.
Choi Seong-ho, chairman of AI Angel Club who led this investment, stated, "Dental Robotics is a startup aiming to solve the shortage of support staff that dentists face directly on the front lines." He added, "Given the high penetration rates of CT and intraoral scanners in dental clinics, making spatial coordinate mapping possible, physical AI can quickly take root. We highly evaluated Dental Robotics' organizational capabilities, composed of experts in clinical practice, robotics, and AI fields."
Kim Nam-gyun, CEO of Dental Robotics, said, "What is truly lacking in dental treatment settings is not doctors but support staff to assist with suction." He continued, "Starting with suction assistance, we will expand the application scope through clinical validation and licensing to eventually develop robots that support the entire flow of dental care, including scaling, periodontal treatment, and extraction assistance."
[MoneyToday startup media platform Unicorn Factory]
in FUTURE
