POSCO To Use Humanoid Robots For Steel Mill Logistics Management

Signing of MOU for On-site Deployment of Industrial Humanoid Robots

POSCO Group announced on February 4 that it is accelerating the introduction of physical AI at manufacturing sites by launching a project to apply humanoid robots to logistics management for steel products.

On February 3, at the POSCO DX Pangyo office building, POSCO Group signed a memorandum of understanding for on-site deployment of industrial humanoid robots, with representatives from four companies in attendance: POSCO, POSCO DX, POSCO Technology Investment, and Persona AI.

Jung Kyuho, Head of DX Strategy at POSCO, Shim Minseok, President of POSCO DX, Radford Nicolaus, CEO of Persona AI, Kim Geunhwan, President of POSCO Technology Investment, and business officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the POSCO DX Pangyo office building for the field deployment of industrial humanoid robots and are posing for a commemorative photo. POSCO Group website

Under the agreement, POSCO will identify workstations at steel mills where humanoid robots can be introduced and will be responsible for evaluating on-site applicability. POSCO DX will design and build the robot automation system and jointly develop models specialized for steel mills, while POSCO Technology Investment will support the execution of business verification (PoC, Proof of Concept), a process of testing ideas or technologies on a small scale in advance to see if they are actually feasible. Persona AI will be responsible for developing and implementing a humanoid robot platform designed for industrial environments at steel mills.

POSCO Group and Persona AI have decided to begin, from February, a business verification project using Persona AI’s humanoid robots for logistics management of steel coils produced at steel mills. To unload rolled finished coils that weigh tens of tons, crane operations are required, and humanoid robots are planned to collaborate with on-site workers in the task of fastening crane belts to the coils.

The introduction of humanoid robots is expected to help prevent various types of accidents that can occur in logistics operations handling coils weighing between 20 and 40 tons. POSCO Group plans to expand the scale of on-site deployment and apply the robots to various logistics sites once the mechanical safety of humanoid robots and their ability to collaborate with workers are verified through this demonstration process.

A POSCO Group representative said, "To respond in a timely manner to paradigm shifts in industry, including the transition to artificial intelligence (AX), POSCO Group plans to expand Intelligent Factories at manufacturing sites and thereby create a safe and pleasant workplace based on technology."