S Korea to invest over $33.5mln to develop home-produced AI humanoids
South Korea plans to invest 50.4 billion won (US$33.5 million) over the next five years to develop core technologies required in artificial intelligence (AI)-based humanoid robots with universities and local tech companies, Yonhap reports, citing the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The inaugural meeting of the buildup project was held by the Ministry of Science and ICT at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Seoul.
Run by KIST, the project is a part of the government's "K-Moonshot" initiative announced early this year. The goal of the program, set to run until 2030, is to integrate AI into research and development of sciences and technologies.
According to the plan, LG Electronics Inc. and WIRobotics, a local wearable robot startup, will develop advanced robot platforms and humanoid robot models that can be produced on a mass scale.
Research institutions, including major local universities and LG AI Research, will join the development of an AI model that can enable humanoid robots to comprehensively understand visual, physical, verbal and behavioral information.
Robots will operate on solid-state batteries developed by LG Energy Solution Ltd.
Robots developed under the project will be tested at hospitals and other nursing facilities to verify their ability to perform long-term and complex tasks needed to support humans, the ministry notes.
Earlier, it was reported that a Japanese startup is preparing to send a spherical robot inspired by Haro, a character from the classic anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, into space by next spring.
