Hyundai, SNU, POSTECH, KIST build joint robotics lab

Hyundai Motor Group said on Wednesday that it established a joint robotics research lab in collaboration with South Korea's top research institutions: Seoul National University (SNU), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

The joint lab was created to strengthen their competitiveness in mobile dual-arm robot technology, which is considered key to the future robotics market, and to build an industry-academia-research robotics ecosystem.

Hyundai Motor Group and the three research institutions will operate the robotics joint research lab in partnership with Hyundai NGV, a specialist in industry-academia cooperation, for the next three years.

The goal is to internalize mobile dual-arm robot technology and create a high-quality robotics research ecosystem.

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. 's Robotics Lab will focus on the technology so robotic hands can handle more complex shapes.

SNU will develop robot recognition technology for manipulating transparent objects like glass and upgrade software to allow robots to grasp unregistered objects.

They will work on improving robots' driving capabilities by enabling them to recognize spaces precisely with ultra-wide-angle cameras and research control technologies that enable dual arms to collaborate.

POSTECH will conduct comprehensive research on human-robot interaction, such as remote haptic devices needed for humans to control robots remotely.

KIST will work on acquiring object manipulation recognition technologies and study motion control algorithms.

The joint robotics research lab signifies the collaboration of the country's top robotics research institutions in developing new technologies.

They also aim to secure talented individuals and establish a network of experts.

Write to Jae-Fu Kim at hu@hankyung.com