[Inside Chodong] Robots Want to Work More

Kim Cheol-hyun, Deputy Director of the Bio Startup and Venture Department

A robot begins to move on the pedestrian walkway. This robot, equipped with four wheels and a cargo box about the height of an adult’s knee, runs at an average speed of about 6 km/h, delivering coffee and drinks ordered from a convenience store to customers. This scene was recently witnessed in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Thanks to the regulatory sandbox demonstration exemption, which previously allowed such operations only in limited areas, this sight will soon be seen throughout urban areas.

The starting point is the enforcement of the revised Road Traffic Act on the 19th. Until now, the Road Traffic Act restricted robots from using pedestrian walkways and crosswalks. The recent amendment classifies autonomous robots as pedestrians rather than vehicles, allowing them to travel on sidewalks. As coexistence with robots in daily life approaches, is it okay for robots to mingle with people on sidewalks? Will there be any safety issues?

We followed an outdoor autonomous delivery robot conducting a demonstration service. The robot moved at a speed slightly faster than a person walking briskly. The risk of safety accidents such as collisions appeared low. When a person approached, it paused briefly or moved aside. It recognized low-height objects like dogs and stopped its movement. When encountering a car in an alley, it moved to one side of the path. At crosswalks, it recognized signals through cameras and crossed the street. Upon arrival, it naturally blended into the daily lives of pedestrians as customers received their ordered items. The robot was already prepared to walk alongside us on sidewalks. The enforcement of the Road Traffic Act amendment legally confirms this.

If the Road Traffic Act amendment is the first step to including outdoor autonomous robots as members of our society, the Intelligent Robots Act amendment, effective on the 17th of next month, can be seen as applying social obligations to robots as members of society. This law defines outdoor mobile robots, establishes a safety certification system for operation, and mandates insurance enrollment. Through this, outdoor autonomous robots will finally be able to legally use sidewalks.

At this point, one might say that the system is steadily being prepared for a future daily life shared with robots. However, unfortunately, the establishment of such legal frameworks lags far behind advanced countries. In the United States, the Personal Delivery Device Act (PDDA) was enacted in 2016. It grants legal status to delivery robots and specifically regulates their operating areas, weight, speed, and more. Starting with Washington DC, over 20 states have PDDA-type state laws. Compared to the US, we are about 7 to 8 years behind in establishing systems and legal grounds. Naturally, this puts us at a disadvantage in terms of technological development and corporate growth.

The industry unanimously welcomes the recent regulatory relief. Along with deregulation, efforts to advance technology development are accelerating. There are many challenges. In addition to existing autonomous driving technology, it is necessary to refine and develop technology that can utilize status information such as signals to enable safer autonomous driving in the densely populated and complex urban traffic environment.

The problem lies in the next step. Regulations still remain. Article 2 of the Living Logistics Service Act limits transportation means for living logistics such as parcel delivery to freight trucks and two-wheeled vehicles. This must be amended to allow robot delivery, thereby assigning social roles to robots as members of our society. Starting from this, the role of outdoor autonomous robots can be expanded. The amendment to the Living Logistics Service Act is currently under discussion in the National Assembly. Innovation does not happen for free. Attention and support are needed.

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