Baemin Delivery Robot Runs on Teheran-ro

Woowa Brothers Launch Outdoor Robot Delivery Service on Teheran-ro

Baedal Minjok's self-developed delivery robot 'Dilly' has started deliveries on Teheran-ro in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok (CEO Lee Guk-hwan), announced on the 7th that they have launched an outdoor robot delivery service by deploying their self-developed autonomous robot Dilly in the 'Teheran-ro Robot Street Creation Project.'

The Teheran-ro Robot Street Creation Project is a large-scale service robot demonstration project launched around COEX Mall on Teheran-ro, formed by a consortium of six companies and institutions including Woowa Brothers, Seoul City, Gangnam-gu, LX Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, LG Electronics, and WTC Seoul. The first service began in August last year with the introduction of serving robots at COEX Mall, and since October, indoor robot delivery services have been provided, delivering food and beverages from stores inside COEX Mall to Trade Tower.

This outdoor robot delivery service is a follow-up to the first phase of the Teheran-ro Robot Street Creation Project, implementing robot delivery services from COEX Mall to nearby buildings. Customers in buildings near COEX Mall can order food and beverages from stores capable of robot delivery through the Baemin app, and Dilly loads the food and beverages outdoors and delivers them to designated locations by identifying the building locations. The buildings eligible for delivery are six locations within Teheran-ro 87-gil near COEX Mall.

Customers can check the delivery process in real-time via the mobile app. The series of steps including order reception, departure, estimated arrival, and arrival are notified to customers in the form of alert messages. A total of five Dilly robots, including two spares, are deployed. Dilly uses sensors such as cameras and LiDAR to quickly and accurately recognize surrounding objects and obstacles in the complex urban environment. It is equipped with a high-performance autonomous driving algorithm that avoids pedestrians on crowded sidewalks and quickly generates new routes in unexpected situations.

Baemin unveils self-developed delivery robot after 7 years

In particular, Woowa Brothers has unveiled a self-developed robot after seven years of entering the robot business. Until now, Baemin robots were based on robots developed by domestic and foreign companies for demonstration projects, but this Dilly was developed purely with in-house technology.

Baemin explained that they paid attention to even the smallest details to deliver food in the most delicious condition. The six wheels are equipped with independent suspension to maintain speed while passing over unpaved roads or uneven surfaces such as curbs, preventing food from spilling or getting damaged. The front and rear wheels are designed to move independently, allowing stable movement at high speeds and easy direction changes in narrow spaces such as elevators or apartment hallways. Additionally, it has obtained waterproof and dustproof ratings to withstand dust and rain, enabling stable service even in Korea’s distinct seasonal climate.

They also put effort into the design to provide smooth delivery services while sharing space with people. The robot’s height is designed at 720 mm, the typical height of desks or dining tables, so users can put in or take out food without bending their backs much. The front LED can display various expressions of Dilly, and future updates will include voice guidance functions to express emotions such as gratitude or apology in situations like elevators or narrow paths. Dilly can carry items weighing up to 30 kg, and its cargo volume is 25.6 liters, enough to hold six 2-liter water bottles at once. Unlike conventional charging methods, it adopts a battery replacement system, allowing quick redeployment to service even if the battery runs out during operation.

Going forward, Baemin plans to deploy Dilly not only for outdoor robot delivery but also for robot delivery covering both indoor and outdoor areas. Leveraging the newly developed Dilly, they aim to demonstrate robot delivery services in apartment complexes in Seoul, following the implementation in Gwanggyo, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. Song Jae-ha, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Woowa Brothers, said, "We have built an autonomous driving robot delivery service in a complex urban environment with our own technology," adding, "We hope this demonstration will serve as a catalyst for the advancement of delivery robot technology and market expansion."