Baemin-Hyundai Motor and Kia Join Hands to Develop Delivery Robots: "Merchants' Profits Will Increase"

Delivery Robot R&D MOU Signed
Development of Robots Capable of Interfloor Movement and Payment
"Enhancing Customer Convenience in the Untact Era"

Woowa Brothers signed a business agreement on the 18th with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia for "research and development in delivery robotic mobility and logistics." (From left) Park Jung-guk, Deputy Head of Hyundai Motor R&D Headquarters, and Oh Se-yoon, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Woowa Brothers.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Baedal Minjok and Hyundai Motor Company·Kia are joining forces to develop delivery robots. The two companies plan to commercialize delivery robots capable of moving between floors within buildings and equipped with payment methods.

Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, announced on the 19th that it signed a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Research and Development in Delivery Robotic Mobility and Logistics" at Hyundai Motor Company·Kia Namyang Research Center in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. The signing ceremony was attended by both companies' officials, including Oh Se-yoon, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Woowa Brothers, and Park Jung-guk, Deputy Head of Hyundai Motor Company’s R&D Headquarters.

With the increase in demand for untact (contactless) services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity for delivery robots is gradually growing. Through this agreement, the two companies plan to develop robots capable of delivery services and enhance technology and services through various types of pilot operations in real-world settings.

First, Woowa Brothers will be responsible for the service operation of the delivery robots developed with Hyundai Motor Company·Kia, based on its 10 years of service know-how and experience operating its own delivery robots such as "Dilly Drive."

Hyundai Motor Company·Kia will develop robots capable of moving between floors within various building structures as well as outdoors, equipped with payment methods, and will establish an integrated control system to operate the robots in real time.

A Woowa Brothers official said, "Robot delivery services will enhance customer convenience in the untact era, create demand for ultra-short-distance deliveries, increase profits for business owners, and reduce delivery time for riders. This collaboration between Woowa Brothers and Hyundai Motor Company will be a turning point for the advancement of the delivery industry."

A Hyundai Motor Company·Kia official stated, "We plan to lead the establishment of human-centered mobility services by collaborating with Woowa Brothers, who possess diverse know-how in delivery solutions, to improve the completeness of delivery robots."

Woowa Brothers has been making efforts to develop delivery robots even before cooperating with Hyundai Motor Company·Kia. Starting with a pilot operation of robot delivery services for about a month in November 2019 at Konkuk University Seoul Campus, it has continued pilot operations since July last year at Gwanggyo Alleyway in Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do.

In the first half of this year, they plan to deploy a next-generation model, Dilly Drive (development name: DillyZ), which incorporates integrated indoor and outdoor autonomous driving technology, to the pilot operation sites.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.