Under the 2026 Demonstration Project for Humanoid Robot Components overseen by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, Crest will work with AI humanoid developer ROBROS to demonstrate a hot-swappable battery system and charging station for the IGRIS-C industrial humanoid robot.
The IGRIS-C stands 154 centimeters tall and weighs 56 kilograms. It uses a vision-language-action, or VLA, model to recognize its surroundings and perform assigned tasks. The robot is designed for use in laboratories and offices as well as confined industrial environments.
Hot-swapping allows a robot’s battery to be replaced without shutting down the machine. Crest said the technology could reduce downtime to nearly zero and support around-the-clock operation at factories and logistics facilities.
The project is intended to raise the localization rate of key humanoid components and accelerate their commercialization through testing in real operating environments. The demonstration will continue through the end of this year.
Crest and ROBROS signed a development and supply agreement for the battery system in June. After completing the demonstration, the companies plan to pursue commercialization during a three-year project utilization period.
Continuous operation and mass production are emerging as key challenges for the humanoid industry as global technology companies and automakers move beyond prototype demonstrations toward the deployment of robots in industrial workplaces.
“Through this demonstration, we will strengthen the competitiveness of domestically developed humanoid components and establish a foundation for entering the global market,” Crest CEO Lee Jung-hwi said.
AJP Takeaways
△ Crest Co., Ltd. was selected to lead a 2026 government-backed project testing domestically developed components for humanoid robots.
△ Crest and ROBROS will test a hot-swappable battery system and charging station for the IGRIS-C humanoid robot through December 2026.
△ The system allows batteries to be replaced without shutting down the robot, supporting continuous operation in factories and logistics facilities.
△ Crest and ROBROS plan to commercialize the technology after the demonstration and expand its use to construction sites and smart buildings.
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