Seongnam City to Pilot Korea's First AI Porter Robot in Traditional Markets

Selected for the '2026 Gyeonggi Province AI Challenge'

Secures 250 Million Won in Provincial Funding

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it has been selected as a final winner in the '2026 Gyeonggi Province Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge Program' hosted by Gyeonggi Province, securing a provincial budget of 250 million won.

Image of Seongnam City traditional market AI porter robot generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Provided by Seongnam City

This competition aims to discover innovative public services that address community issues using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Seongnam City was selected for its proposal titled 'Demonstration of AI-Based Augmented Reality (AR) Navigation and AI Porter Robot Services for the Mobility-Impaired in Traditional Markets.'

This project, which is being implemented for the first time nationwide by Seongnam City, is designed to improve mobility within traditional markets for the transportation disadvantaged, such as seniors and people with disabilities. The demonstration will take place at Seongnam Moran Traditional Market, a permanent market in the city.

The core of the project is the 'AI porter robot,' which is being introduced for the first time in Korea. When users scan a QR code at the market entrance, the robot follows them and can carry up to 20 kilograms of goods on their behalf. In addition, a service called 'AI-Based Augmented Reality (AR) Navigation,' powered by Naver ARC-Eye technology, will also be operated. Notably, this navigation can guide users through the market’s complex alleys and store locations with an accuracy of ±30 centimeters, even without GPS.

To implement this project, Seongnam City has formed a consortium with HyperCloud, a spatial computing specialist, and Jo&Soft, a cloud infrastructure company, while Naver Cloud is participating as a technology support organization.

Seongnam Moran Traditional Market is characterized by its complex pathways, narrow corridors, and GPS signal-blocking environment, making it one of the most challenging sites for autonomous robot demonstrations. The city plans to focus on deploying and piloting the AI porter robot on-site from August to October this year.

The city aims to secure demonstration data accumulated in this complex traditional market environment and utilize it as a foundation for establishing safety standards and competitiveness for Physical AI technology in the public sector in the future.

In addition, by reducing the burden of carrying goods and navigating the market, the project is expected to improve mobility for the transportation disadvantaged, as well as revitalize visits to traditional markets and attract new customers.

Moving forward, the city plans to add features such as links to discount and special offer information to the AI porter robot, developing it into a model for strengthening the self-sustainability of traditional markets.

Kim Kyuseung, an official at the AI Semiconductor Division who planned the project, commented, "Solving the oldest inconveniences with the latest technology is the vision of Seongnam City's 'AI by Your Side.' We will create a nationwide standard model where advanced technology and traditional markets can coexist, ultimately improving mobility for the transportation disadvantaged."

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