The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 29 that it discussed major achievements and future policy directions with stakeholders from academia and industry during the 2nd M.AX Conference held at the headquarters of Roboteers in Seoul.
The M.AX Alliance's AI robot division was established to respond to intensifying global competition in AI and robotics, currently involving over 280 organizations, including robot manufacturers, AI companies, component suppliers, and end-users. These entities are collaborating across various fields, including robot AI model development, localization of key components, and on-site demonstrations.
This year, the government is investing approximately 180 billion won in research and development (R&D) for the robotics sector and about 76 billion won in on-site demonstration projects to support technology development and commercialization.
Since its inception, the M.AX Alliance has fostered collaboration between robot manufacturers and end-users, resulting in various practical applications. Notably, the AI-based quadruped welding robot developed through a partnership between Didun Robotics and HD Hyundai Samho has garnered attention for overcoming limitations in working on curved sections inside ships.
Additionally, a vision AI-based livestock processing robot being developed by Robos and the Changnyeong Livestock Auction House, as well as an autonomous patrol robot operated in collaboration with Seongnam City Hall and Bundang Police Station by Newbility, are also seeing expanded on-site implementation.
Recently, the development of humanoids, identified as a next-generation key area, has gained traction. The Ministry initiated a project last year to develop six types of industry-specific humanoids, targeting tasks that existing industrial robots struggle with, such as fire monitoring on ships, valve operation in hazardous environments, and product reclassification in logistics centers. Related projects aim for commercialization by 2028, with concurrent development and on-site demonstrations.
In addition, the Ministry is increasing investments in the localization of key humanoid components, such as actuators and robotic hands. A research team led by Professor Park Hae-won from KAIST has developed a humanoid lower body platform capable of speeds up to 13 km/h based on its own actuator, while Aiden Robotics has introduced robotic hand technology that can withstand loads over 20 kg and features tactile sensing capabilities.
The development of robot foundation models, which serve as the brain of robots, is also accelerating. Tomorrow Robotics is working on a model with a high processing speed compared to global competitors, while Real World is advancing AI models capable of precision tasks based on tactile feedback.
The Ministry is also addressing regulatory improvements based on feedback from companies. Last year, the review period for outdoor mobile robot safety certification was shortened from 60 days to 30 days, and the number of review items was halved. The Ministry is also supporting the on-site demonstration of bipedal humanoids through regulatory sandboxes.
In the future, the planned robot mega-special zone will implement various regulatory exceptions, such as utilizing original video data for robot AI model training, allowing outdoor advertising for outdoor mobile robots, and special provisions for fire-fighting robots on roads. Additionally, a dedicated fund of 500 billion won will be established to support funding for outstanding robot startups, with a mandatory investment in the humanoid sector.
Conference attendees emphasized that AI robots are a key industry that will determine the future competitiveness of manufacturing, highlighting the need for not only technology development and demonstrations but also large-scale data collection and support for initial demand creation.
A Ministry official stated, "We will actively reflect related opinions in future policy and budget planning processes."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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