Five Companies Selected for 'Robot and AI Testbed'
30 Million Won and Public Infrastructure Matching Support for Each Company
Gangnam-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Cho Sungmyung), has selected five companies as the final winners of the "2nd Gangnam-gu Robot (AI) Testbed" competition. Starting this month, the district will open its public infrastructure to these companies, allowing them to conduct real-world demonstrations in daily life settings.
This year, a total of 23 companies applied, resulting in nearly double the competition rate compared to the previous year. Projects with high potential for innovation and practical demonstration were ultimately selected. Unlike last year, when the focus was mainly on administrative fields, this year the scope has been expanded to include community spaces such as hospitals, libraries, smart farms, and sports facilities, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the demonstrations.
The selected projects will verify the usability of robots in various everyday locations. At Gangnam District Public Happy Nursing Hospital, Motion Advisor's multi-purpose cleaning and delivery robot, as well as Advance Solution's autonomous disinfection robot, will be introduced to test environmental management and smart disinfection models. In the children's section of Dogok Information and Culture Library, a guidance and recommendation robot jointly developed by TPCG and Ivytech will be deployed to assist with finding materials and introducing books, with a particular focus on improving accessibility for vulnerable groups who have difficulty accessing information.
At the Gangnam Tancheon Park Golf Course, Mobileate's route-based unmanned mowing robot will be tested for driving performance and work quality, with the goal of completing the demonstration by the first half of next year as part of an advanced development process. At the Segok-dong Smart Farm, Helper Robotics will test its AI vision module, which analyzes the growth status of strawberries and determines the optimal harvesting time. On-site, a strawberry harvesting robot demonstration will also be conducted as part of a children's experiential program, adding educational value.
Gangnam-gu plans to provide 30 million won to each company and, by matching them with public infrastructure, aims to establish a virtuous cycle that leads from demonstration to advancement and commercialization.
Cho Sungmyung, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, "We will create a virtuous cycle by connecting robot services that can be used directly in daily life with the district's infrastructure, leading from demonstration to advancement and commercialization. By addressing the limitations revealed during the demonstration process, we will accelerate companies' entry into the market and further solidify Gangnam-gu's foundation as a hub for the robotics industry."
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