Ryu Jaecheol: "Actuator Launch Next Year, Accelerating Robot Commercialization"... LG Electronics Expands Robot Business

LG Electronics Outlines Step-by-Step Expansion of Robot Business
From Home Robots to Commercial and Industrial Applications
Building a Robot Ecosystem Linked with Group Affiliates
Home Robot Cloid’s Field Demonstration Timeline Likely to Be Advanced

LG Electronics is embarking on building a group-wide robot ecosystem, starting with home robots and gradually expanding its business into commercial and industrial robots. The company’s core robot component, the actuator, is scheduled for release next year, and the timeline for robot commercialization is expected to be accelerated compared to initial plans.

Ryu Jaecheol, CEO of LG Electronics, stated at a press conference held on the 7th (local time) at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in the United States, “We are envisioning the robot business expanding from home use to commercial and industrial applications,” adding, “We are approaching this with a structure that leverages LG Group’s manufacturing infrastructure and the capabilities of its affiliates.”

Ryu Jaecheol, CEO of LG Electronics, is speaking at a press conference held on the 7th (local time) at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in the United States. LG Electronics

CEO Ryu presented a vision for a group-level robot ecosystem. He said, “Actuators (the drive devices that move a robot’s joints, arms, and legs) are being developed in-house by LG Electronics, while the sensor area can utilize Innotek’s vision camera, LiDAR, and radar technologies. For batteries, we are reviewing options for robot batteries together with LG Energy Solution.” He added, “We will maximize the capabilities we excel at within the LG Group ecosystem to accelerate the robot business.”

Regarding the home robot ‘Cloid’, CEO Ryu said, “Next year, we plan to move out of the laboratory and conduct field demonstrations.” He continued, “Through this exhibition, I felt that robots are moving toward commercialization faster than expected. We are also re-examining our current demonstration schedule.” This suggests the timeline may be advanced compared to the original roadmap, which was based on demonstrations next year.

After the demonstration phase, LG Electronics also plans to expand its home robot into commercial and industrial applications. CEO Ryu explained, “Industrial environments that can be implemented under controlled conditions are, in some respects, less challenging to realize than home environments. Once demonstrations are accumulated, we can consider expanding into industrial sites.” He also cited the company’s more than 20 domestic and overseas production bases and numerous affiliate factories as a foundation for applying industrial robots.

Ryu Jaecheol, CEO of LG Electronics, is bumping fists with the company's home robot Cloi. LG Electronics

CEO Ryu stated, “Through our subsidiary Bear Robotics, we are accumulating experience in the commercial robot sector. Based on this, we plan to grow both home and commercial robots together and expand our robot business.” He added, “We do not limit robots to specific purposes in development. Ultimately, we aim for a ‘Zero Labor Home’ where people are free from household chores.”

LG Electronics will begin selling actuators for robots next year. Baek Seungtae, Executive Vice President and Head of the HS Business Division, said, “We expect the robot actuator market to grow to 23 billion dollars by 2030. Starting next year, we will launch products, apply them to Cloid, and also pursue external sales.”

LG Electronics highlighted its mass production experience accumulated in the home appliance motor business as a foundation for actuator competitiveness. Vice President Baek said, “We produce 41 million motors annually in five countries worldwide, and even for direct-drive washing machine motors alone, we manufacture 10 million units each year. Our experience in mass-producing high-speed, high-reliability motors, such as vacuum cleaner motors with 150,000 RPM (150,000 revolutions per minute), can be applied to robot actuators.”

The company also cited regenerative braking technology, which recovers energy during the robot’s return process after completing a task to recharge the battery, and the software that controls it, as competitive advantages.

Meanwhile, there have been some criticisms regarding the speed of movement of the home robot ‘Cloid’ unveiled by LG Electronics at this year’s CES. CEO Ryu personally addressed this, acknowledging, “It is true that the speed is slower than our target at present.” However, he emphasized, “Home robots must move alongside people in real living spaces, so safety and reliability are our top priorities.”

CEO Ryu identified learning as the key to improving speed. He explained, “The most important factor in increasing speed is training. Although large-scale training has not yet been fully achieved, we believe we can reach human-like speeds within a few months.” He added, “Once learning is incorporated, there should be no major issues. We will show a rapidly evolving Cloi.”

For mergers and acquisitions (M&A), the company is considering data center cooling and robotics. CEO Ryu said, “We see significant growth opportunities in cooling technology and robotics, including artificial intelligence data centers. We are keeping opportunities open and reviewing them company-wide, without limiting ourselves to specific areas.”

Regarding the data center cooling business, he assessed that technological demand will continue in the mid- to long-term. CEO Ryu said, “Even if chip efficiency improves, cooling technology remains essential. Even with basic cooling, the business scale and growth potential are sufficient.” On possible cooperation with specific companies, he commented, “It is difficult to speak in detail.”

On workforce management, CEO Ryu reaffirmed that there are no additional plans for voluntary retirement. He said, “Although we have conducted such programs several times in the past, there are currently no additional plans. Healthy workforce circulation is always a management consideration.”

CEO Ryu concluded, “Robotics, cooling, automotive electronics, and platforms-business-to-business and high-performance businesses-are the key pillars driving LG Electronics’ qualitative growth. We will enhance execution and speed through artificial intelligence and create a structure where group-wide competitiveness is self-reinforcing.”