Local firms accelerate development of autonomous robots

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang, third from right, meets Boston Dynamics officials at the company's headquarters in Massachusetts, U.S., April 28 (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

By Lee Kyung-min

Local robotics firms will accelerate the development of autonomous robots, as cleared by the recent passage of a bill authorizing high-tech robots to use sidewalks for delivery, patrol, information providing and cleaning services, according to market watchers, Tuesday.

Further anchoring their business prospects is a robust industrial outlook. International Federation of Robotics (IFR) data estimated the size of the industrial and services robot market to surpass $50 billion (67 trillion won) by 2025, up from $30 billion in 2021, growing 17 percent a year.

The faster the commercialization and implementation, the more productive and efficient corporate management will become, market watchers say, since firms will no longer have to tussle with labor demands, including minimum wage hikes and strengthened employee benefits.

Others say the expansion of robot-mediated services could become a socially and economically divisive issue in the long term over humans being replaced by robots, an emerging reality that will result in harsher labor market conditions for low-income earners.

According to the bill that was passed at the National Assembly's plenary session, April 27, government-certified robots will be able to use sidewalks and enter parks. The robots will be mandatorily insured for possible damage to humans and property.

The specifics is the first step toward permanently removing regulations which businesses have characterized as "growth-stunting hurdles" undermining the country's competitiveness on the global stage.

The U.S., for example, has the Personal Delivery Device Act whereby autonomous robots have been allowed on sidewalks in 20 states since 2016.

Japan put in place a similar system in April, after a related law was revised in 2022.

"It is time for strong local players to invest in and advance the high-tech artificial intelligence (AI) industry to become a new growth opportunity," said Son Il-young, principal manager at Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA), a state-run robotics research institute.

The rosy assessment is underpinned by a growing number of industry leaders being convinced that the uses of robots are not limited to simple assembly and can be expanded to handle advanced manufacturing and broader people-facing services.

"The uncertainties in government policies have been largely cleared, provided that revisions of related codes follow. A growing number of mobility, logistics, delivery and personal services providers will introduce solutions to meet the varying demands of customers accordingly."

Hyundai Motor, Doosan and Samsung lead the way

A camera mount robot manufactured by Doosan Robotics / Courtesy of Doosan Robotics

Hyundai Motor Group has fortified robotics capabilities since the acquisition of Boston Dynamics in Massachusetts, U.S. in June of 2021, a business move to elevate the robot engineering and design firm as the future robotics technology hub for the automobile giant.

Its robots are able to handle tasks in industrial sites and hold, lift and move objects, currently being used for safety maintenance at construction and industrial sites of Kia Autoland, a manufacturing plant, and Hyundai E&C. They are Spot, a four-legged walking robot, Atlas, a humanoid robot, and Stretch, a collaborative logistics robot.

Doosan Robotics, the robot business affiliate of Doosan Group, and Rockwell Automation, an American provider of industrial automation and digital transformation technologies, whose brands include Allen-Bradley, FactoryTalk software and LifecycleIQ Services, will jointly develop robot technologies for automated manufacturing plants. Their joint project seeks to expand the use of automation in the semiconductor, automobile and bio manufacturing facilities.

The Doosan affiliate, the top local player in the collaborative robot market which generates 70 percent of its sales from overseas, established a corporate entity in the U.S. state of Texas followed by setting up a corporate entity in Europe.

Among the plans for the Doosan affiliate is raising an investment fund of 250 billion won through an initial public offering (IPO) this year.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong pledged in 2021 to invest 240 trillion won in future tech industries, including robots and AI research and development (R&D).

The memory chip powerhouse in January acquired a 14.99 percent stake in Rainbow Robotics, a robotics firm set up in 2011 by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) research team. Samsung further signed a call option whereby up to a 59.94 percent stake can be claimed, in what market watchers said was a gradual step to take over Rainbow Robotics.

The Samsung-Rainbow alliance mostly centers on commercializing before the year's end serving robots that can move trays, cups and food at restaurants and coffee shops.

KT, a local telecommunications service provider, has developed an AI indoor delivery robot. Five of them are in use to bring beverages to customers staying at Jeju Shinhwa World, a resort hotel on Jeju Island. The 1.4-meter robot moves at a speed of 3.6 kilometers per hour and is remotely controlled.

"The automated robots can work around the clock, unlike human beings," a KT official said. "The robots helped us with labor shortage, a problem we have had since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic."