[COVID-19 Transformation] Outdoor Autonomous Robot "Food Delivery Has Arrived"

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How Far Will Robot Technology Evolve?

An outdoor delivery robot developed by Robotis is delivering lunch to employees who ordered through 'Sikgwon Daejang' in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

Last month in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, outdoor autonomous robots were seen moving on sidewalks and crosswalks. These robots were created by Robotis, a company specializing in robot solutions. When employees reserved and paid for lunch through the mobile meal management application 'Sikgwon Daejang,' the robot delivered the meals from the restaurant to the Robotis office. Although the delivery was limited to four designated restaurants and the Robotis building within the restricted area of Magok-dong, this case confirmed that the era of robots autonomously delivering food outdoors as well as indoors is rapidly approaching.

According to the industry on the 7th, while serving robots that carry food indoors are becoming widespread, active technological development is also underway for the commercialization of outdoor delivery robots. The industry views outdoor driving robots as having much higher technical barriers compared to indoor robots. This is because they must autonomously comply with road traffic laws and detect moving objects such as cars and bicycles to operate without accidents. They must also operate reliably under conditions such as road construction, heavy rain, and heatwaves. Only with advanced sensor technology and a high level of artificial intelligence can food be delivered to the order location without disruption.

Previously, in November last year, Woowa Brothers successfully processed 2,219 orders during an outdoor autonomous delivery robot test conducted at Konkuk University’s Seoul campus, but this was possible because it was within the campus. The robot that roamed the Konkuk University campus delivered up to the building entrance, but Woowa Brothers’ goal is to have delivery robots enter buildings and move between floors using elevators. As a preliminary step, indoor robot tests were conducted at Woowa Brothers’ headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where the robot took the elevator to deliver directly to the floor where the customer was located. Through a control system linking the robot and the elevator, the robot was able to move between floors autonomously. This was the result of developing proprietary technology in cooperation with elevator manufacturers that allows the robot to remotely call, board, and exit the elevator. Robot development is progressing through multiple stages, including indoor serving robots, outdoor delivery robots within apartment complexes and campuses, and inter-floor movement robots.

LG Electronics is also putting effort into the commercialization of autonomous delivery robots. In January this year, at CES 2020 held in Las Vegas, USA, LG set up a robot exhibition zone and showcased the 'LG CLOi Dining Solution,' a robot service for restaurant operation and management. The LG CLOi Dining Solution is designed to allow customers to experience various robot services such as guidance, ordering, food preparation, and serving within the restaurant.

Robot technology is challenging not only delivery but also direct cooking. If this technology becomes feasible, the entire process of consuming food from cooking to delivery can be implemented contactlessly (untact). 'Lounge X,' located on Teheran-ro in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, is a site demonstrating this potential. Here, a robot barista performs precise hand drip coffee making, where the amount, direction, and speed of pouring water vary depending on the type of coffee beans. The robot, named 'Baris,' was developed by the startup Lounge Lab and can create the optimal coffee taste through a hand drip motion algorithm linked to the type of coffee beans. Extracting three cups of coffee in high-speed mode takes about four minutes in total, making it very fast. Additionally, the coffee is delivered to the ordered table via a serving robot made by the robot company Bear Robotics.

Woowa Brothers also started developing a cooking robot last year in collaboration with the Romela Lab at UCLA in the United States. This is a mid- to long-term project expected to take at least 3 to 4 years, aiming to enable the cooking robot to perform various actions and functions such as cutting ingredients and flipping pans. Professor Dennis Hong of UCLA said, "Robots are a means to accelerate the future we envision, and the process of developing robots will be an exciting journey that enriches and makes our lives more convenient."