Navy tests humanoid robot at ship's wheel in first crew experiment

By Kim Hee-su Posted : July 24, 2026, 13:48 Updated : July 24, 2026, 13:59

Humanoid robot PIBOT steers a ship during a Navy combat trial on July 23. Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Navy
SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - South Korea’s Navy has tested a humanoid robot as a ship crew member for the first time, putting the machine at the wheel inside a bridge simulator as part of efforts to reduce sailors’ workload and prepare for a shrinking pool of military personnel.

The Navy said Friday that the experiment was conducted Wednesday at the Naval Education and Training Command’s ship-handling training facility in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in cooperation with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Video footage released by the Navy showed KAIST’s humanoid robot PIBOT standing at the helm inside a bridge simulator designed to replicate a naval vessel. Navy personnel stood watch at the windows and control panels, while researchers monitored the robot from nearby computer screens.

In the footage, an officer of the watch gave PIBOT a helm order through a handheld microphone, just as he would to a human sailor: “Rudder left five degrees, steady on 330.”
 
Humanoid robot PIBOT steers a ship during a Navy combat trial on July 23. Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Navy
PIBOT repeated the command, moved its mechanical arm toward the wheel and turned the steering gear. After the simulated vessel’s heading stabilized, the robot reported that the course change had been completed.

The repeat-back procedure is a standard part of ship handling, used to ensure that helm orders are clearly received and correctly executed. The Navy said PIBOT followed the same process used by human sailors.

The test was conducted under a range of simulated conditions that naval vessels could face at sea, including narrow-channel navigation requiring frequent course changes, rough weather that repeatedly shifts a ship’s heading and nighttime navigation.

The footage showed the simulator’s bridge windows switching between maritime scenarios, while PIBOT remained at the steering station and responded to orders from Navy personnel.
 
Humanoid robot PIBOT steers a ship during a Navy combat trial on July 23. Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Navy
The experiment assigned PIBOT the role of helmsman, a crew member responsible for operating the steering gear in response to orders from the captain or the officer of the watch. On a naval vessel, another sailor, known as the engine order telegraph operator, separately adjusts the ship’s speed.

The Navy said the experiment was intended to examine whether robots can take over some shipboard duties now performed by sailors, beginning with steering tasks, and to explore how robotic systems could be operated aboard naval vessels.

The project is linked to the Navy’s broader Navy Sea GHOST initiative, a manned-unmanned maritime combat system designed to integrate unmanned platforms and advanced technologies into future naval operations.

The combat experiment will proceed in four stages: land-based ship-handling simulation, testing aboard a docked vessel, daytime sea trials and long-duration day-and-night sea trials at sea. Wednesday’s experiment was the first stage.
 
Humanoid robot PIBOT steers a ship during a Navy combat trial on July 23. Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Navy
“The Navy will use the results of this experiment to explore ways to operate robots aboard ships, reduce the workload of ship crews and actively respond to a changing defense environment, including a sharp decline in military manpower and rapid advances in high technology,” Rear Adm. Kim Hyung-jun, head of the Navy Force Analysis, Test and Evaluation Group, said.
 
Humanoid robot PIBOT steers a ship during a Navy combat trial on July 23. Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Navy
KAIST professor Shim Hyun-chul, who leads the research team, said it was meaningful to test whether a humanoid robot based on physical AI technology could perform the role of a Navy helmsman.

PIBOT has been under development by KAIST since 2022 under an ADD defense technology program, with $4.1 million in funding from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Kim Hee-su

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