A bipedal humanoid robot developed by URobotics walks up a set of stairs in Gangnam, southern Seoul. (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
A bipedal humanoid robot developed by URobotics walks up a set of stairs in Gangnam, southern Seoul. (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)

Robotics startups founded at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology are taking their innovations beyond the lab and into workplaces and city streets, the university said Tuesday.

In September, a humanoid robot developed by URobotics, a startup founded by four students in KAIST's electrical engineering lab, went viral after videos showed it walking naturally among commuters in Seoul’s Gangnam district during rush hour.

The company has developed a “blind” walking control system that enables robots to move independently without the use of a camera or lidar, key sensors commonly used in autonomous vehicles. Lidar, which stands for "light detection and ranging," is a sensing method that uses light to measure the presence, shape and distance of objects.

"This is the first step towards complete autonomous walking," said URobotics CEO Yu Byeong-ho.

A humanoid robot developed by URobotics walks down the streets near Gangnam Station, southern Seoul. (KAIST)
A humanoid robot developed by URobotics walks down the streets near Gangnam Station, southern Seoul. (KAIST)

Unlike conventional systems that rely on precise landscape mapping, the technology enables the robot to “imagine” its surroundings, making it possible to walk in any weather conditions. According to the company, this is one of the first public demonstrations of a bipedal humanoid robot successfully navigating through a dense crowd using such technology.

A quadruped wall-climbing robot developed by Diden Robotics. (KAIST)
A quadruped wall-climbing robot developed by Diden Robotics. (KAIST)

Meanwhile, Diden Robotics, another startup founded by mechanical engineering students at KAIST, unveiled a wall-climbing robot designed for shipyards. Equipped with magnets and autonomous driving technology, the quadrupedal robot can scale metallic walls and ceilings to reach areas that are hazardous or inaccessible for human workers.

In this composite image, a quadruped wall-climbing robot developed by Diden Robotics goes through a series of performance tests. (KAIST)
In this composite image, a quadruped wall-climbing robot developed by Diden Robotics goes through a series of performance tests. (KAIST)

The company is working with large shipbuilding companies, including Samsung Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai Samho, Hanhwa Ocean and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, to develop customized versions of the technology.

"We were successfully able to test for our technology's practicality and safety at the Samsung Heavy Industry site," said Diden Robotics CEO Junny (Jooh-ha) Kim. "We will position ourselves as a leader in addressing labor shortages and advancing automation in the shipbuilding sector."


seungku99@heraldcorp.com