Robot Draws Attention in Midtown New York by Pretending to Eat a Hot Dog and Try on Sneakers

A U.S. asset management firm introduces a humanoid robot
Promotes ETF products... even rings the Nasdaq opening bell
Global humanoid market expected to reach $5 trillion

A robot that behaves like a human?pretending to buy and eat a hot dog in the middle of New York City or trying on sneakers at a shoe store?has appeared on the streets. On August 2 (local time), the New York Post reported that "a video of a robot walking around Midtown Manhattan is going viral on social media," and explained the background of the robot.

Robot KOID introduced by global asset management company KraneShares for ETF promotion. KraneShares official website

According to the report, the robot is named 'KOID' and was introduced as a promotional tool by global asset management company KraneShares to advertise its new exchange-traded fund (ETF), the Global Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence Index ETF. The price of KOID is reported to be $100,000 (approximately 130 million won). The ETF was launched in June, and at the time of its debut, KOID rang the Nasdaq opening bell in person.

As part of the promotion, KOID confidently walked along Fifth Avenue, the heart of New York, took selfies with citizens, and entered a sneaker store to interact with employees and try on sneakers. Joseph Dube, Head of Marketing at KraneShares, said, "The scene was reminiscent of how people must have reacted when they first saw a light bulb or a car. The response was a mixture of amazement, fear, and excitement."

KOID robot is meeting New York citizens. CraneShares TikTok

On social media, reactions included, "The AI era we've seen in movies is now reality," and "The robot is actually putting on shoes." A visually impaired person told the New York Post, "It's amazing technology. It could help people who have difficulty keeping guide dogs due to allergies or other reasons." On the other hand, some expressed fear, saying, "The robot's natural movements were frightening," and questioned, "To what extent will robots replace human jobs?"

According to Morgan Stanley, by 2050, one billion humanoid robots will be deployed worldwide, and the related industry is expected to reach $5 trillion (about 6,944 trillion won) annually. Global competition over the humanoid robot market is intensifying between the United States and China. While U.S. companies such as Tesla and Nvidia are striving to secure a lead in the market, the Chinese government aims to become the world leader in humanoid technology by 2027.

South Korea has also recently launched the K-Humanoid Alliance. Organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the K-Humanoid Alliance is a public-private-academic-industry consortium covering all areas of the humanoid industry, including robot AI, components, systems, and sensors. The consultative body is led by major domestic companies and institutions such as Rainbow Robotics, LG Electronics, Doosan Robotics, Seoul National University, KAIST, POSTECH, ETRI, and the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement.