Gangnam District to Open Robot Festival on the 11th... 3 Days at COEX

47 Booths
AI Quadruped Robot Competition

Gangnam District in Seoul (District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki) will host the "2026 Gangnam Robot Plus Festival" from September 11 to 13 at the COEX first-floor east entrance lobby and the surrounding plaza. Marking its fourth year, this year's festival is themed "Gangnam's Great Transition to a Future City Where People and Robots Coexist," and is designed to provide visitors with hands-on experiences of robots and AI.

The Robot Plus Festival held last June. Provided by Gangnam District.

The festival venue will feature 47 booths operated by 36 organizations, including companies, research institutes, universities, and schools. The event will be divided into four main zones: the Robot Policy Achievement Zone, the Technology Exhibition Zone, the Future Talent Zone, and the Experience Zone. These zones will showcase a variety of robots, including patrol, environmental cleanup, and autonomous driving robots, as well as AI-based skin analysis robots, emotional humanoids, quadruped robots, and medical transport and assistive robots.

The main program is the "AI Quadruped Robot Competition," co-hosted by Gangnam District and Kwangwoon University. Teams of up to five university students will compete in two categories: autonomous driving and controlled operation. In a specially designed 9m by 7m arena modeled after the Samseong Station intersection, the robots will be evaluated on their ability to deliver food and beverages to designated locations based on orders, and to reach their destinations accurately while avoiding obstacles.

On the first day, September 11, a 90-minute talk concert titled "The Metallic Colleague Next to Me" will be held by Professor Kim Dae-sik from KAIST and anchor Han Seok-jun, starting at 11:00 a.m., following the opening ceremony at 10:00 a.m.

The "AI·Robot Challenge," designed for children and families, will take place over the weekend. The "Assembly Challenge" will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on September 12 and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on September 13. In this challenge, a guardian and participant form a team, register on site, assemble an educational robot, and take on various missions. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on September 13, the "Mission Challenge" will be held for 60 students in grades 4 through 6. Participants will compete in two categories—soccer robot and basketball robot—measuring how quickly they can complete the task of scoring goals. Registration for this event was conducted online in advance.

The main stage will feature performances and events throughout the three days. Highlights include a joint performance by a drawing robot and artist Yeom Dong-gyun, an audience participation balloon performance, and the "Robot Dance Challenge," where robots and professional dancers perform K-pop routines together.

District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki stated, "This festival offers residents a rare opportunity to experience how our everyday lives will change as people and robots coexist. Gangnam will grow into an innovative city that leads Korea’s robotics industry."

Provided by Gangnam-gu.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.