‘Robot Station Staff’ Deployed at Gwangmyeong Station... "Supporting Directions and Luggage Transport"

A ‘robot station attendant’ has been deployed at KTX Gwangmyeong Station to assist passengers with directions and luggage transport.

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) announced on the 1st that it will pilot the ‘robot station attendant service’ at Gwangmyeong Station.

A station user is experiencing the luggage carrying service with the help of a 'robot station attendant' deployed at KTX Gwangmyeong Station. Photo by Korea Railroad Corporation

One robot station attendant will be placed on the first floor above ground and one on the first basement level. These robots are equipped with functions such as ▲autonomous driving ▲automatic obstacle avoidance ▲3D spatial detection ▲automatic return for charging, enabling them to move independently and provide services to passengers in need.

To receive directions, passengers scan their train ticket QR code with the robot, then select a destination from the list displayed on the screen to check the shortest route.

Luggage transport works by calling the robot through the KORAIL Talk app; when the robot arrives at the designated location, passengers can load their luggage onto the robot’s body and move it in the same way as the ‘directions’ service. Users can also set the call time to match their train arrival time.

The robot station attendants operate on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They can function autonomously without human assistance, but during the pilot period, they will work in teams with one helper.

KORAIL plans to identify improvements through the pilot operation and expand the service by adding features such as ‘connecting transportation guidance’ in the future.

Han Moon-hee, President of Korea Railroad, said, “We will introduce advanced information and communication technologies (IT) such as artificial intelligence to railway sites to ensure that transportation-vulnerable groups can also universally access railway services.”

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