Koo Kwang-mo's Future Business... LG Electronics Announces Entry into Integrated Delivery Robot Market

First Indoor-Outdoor Integrated Delivery Robot Unveiled at 'Ubiquitous Robot 2021'
Leading Rapidly Growing Delivery Robot Market and Securing Technology Leadership
Collaborating on Next-Generation Robot Technology with Prof. Sangbae Kim of MIT Mechanical Engineering Since Last Year

Indoor and outdoor integrated delivery robot developed by LG Electronics
Photo by LG Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] LG Electronics has launched its first robot capable of freely moving both indoors and outdoors, targeting the delivery robot market.

LG Electronics announced on the 13th that it will showcase its indoor-outdoor integrated delivery robot at the 18th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots 2021, held in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, until the 14th.

This robot can move freely without restrictions to indoor or outdoor environments. Equipped with four wheels, the robot adjusts the spacing between the wheels to actively respond to terrain changes and moves using an optimized driving mode. It can reduce vibrations while moving even when encountering low curbs or somewhat uneven ground.

The indoor-outdoor integrated delivery robot is planned to undergo verification and begin pilot operations by the end of this year. The company expects that once commercialized, various tasks previously required for delivering goods will be simplified, leading to a new level of logistics innovation.

The robot is a future business area identified by LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo alongside artificial intelligence (AI) and automotive components. Since Chairman Koo took office in 2018, LG has shown interest by acquiring or collaborating with domestic and international robot manufacturers and startups. Representative examples include acquiring the domestic industrial robot manufacturer Robostar in 2018 and investing in the U.S. robot development startup Boston Robotics and the Korean company Acryl.

Previously, LG Electronics commercialized indoor delivery robots and introduced pilot services for outdoor delivery robots to explore the growth potential of delivery robots. While operating robot services, the need for a robot driving platform usable both indoors and outdoors was confirmed, leading to the development of the integrated delivery robot.

In early last year, LG established the 'LG Boston Robotics Lab' in Boston, USA. There, in collaboration with Professor Kim Sang-bae of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Department of Mechanical Engineering, they are developing next-generation robot technology with motion intelligence. Motion intelligence refers to a robot's ability to quickly respond and act to changes like a human. Professor Kim, a world-renowned robotics authority, has led the MIT Biomimetic Robotics Lab since 2012 and developed the quadruped walking robot series 'Cheetah.'

Kim Byung-hoon, Executive Vice President and Head of LG Electronics Future Technology Center, said, "The next-generation indoor-outdoor integrated delivery robot is the result of proactively responding to customers' increased demand for contactless services," adding, "We expect that robots combining 5G and artificial intelligence will coexist with people without movement restrictions indoors and outdoors, making life safer and more convenient."

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