South Korea clears trial of 20 humanoid robots in factories and shipyards
Start-up Robros may deploy its humanoids alongside workers at four companies – from a chip supplier to a shipyard. Its own AI model is due in the first half of 2027.
Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · ROBROS · youtube.com
In South Korea, 20 humanoid robots from start-up Robros may be trialled in factories and logistics centres. A regulatory sandbox committee granted an exemption for the tests, the Seoul Economic Daily reported on 13 October. This allows the robots to work near employees, provided risks are assessed and mitigation measures are in place.
The robots are to be used at four companies: semiconductor supplier Nepes, car parts maker Sungwoo Hitech, shipyard HD Hyundai Samho and logistics firm Delivery Lab. Planned tasks include cleaning components for chip packaging, positioning car body parts, stacking materials in shipbuilding and moving refrigerated packaging units.
Robros aims to unveil its own AI model for humanoid robots in the first half of 2027, initially for manufacturing and logistics. By then it plans to collect 800,000 hours of simulation data and 200,000 hours of video of human work – collection targets rather than existing datasets, as trade site Humanoids Daily notes. The approval authorises a trial; there are no results from factory operations yet.