Lotte Himart to Introduce Humanoid Robots at Logistics Centers

Selected for National Project: Verifying Autonomous Processes from Order Confirmation to Picking and Packing
Reducing Mispicking and Misdelivery, Accumulating Logistics Data
Advancing 'Physical AI'

Lotte Himart is introducing humanoid robots to its logistics centers to validate the potential for automation in logistics work, covering operations from order confirmation to product picking and packing.

On October 7, Lotte Himart announced that it has been selected as the final recipient of the state-funded project for the '2026 Robot Industry Technology Development Program,' managed by the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This project aims to develop industry-specialized humanoid robots using domestic technology, thereby reducing reliance on foreign robots and AI models while establishing a foundation for AI transformation in the logistics sector.

The project will run from this year through 2031, with robot-specialized company Yujin Robot serving as the lead organization. Ciso and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) will participate as research institutions, while Lotte Himart and Lotte Global Logistics will join as demand companies.

Lotte Himart plans to deploy humanoid robots at its Icheon Logistics Center starting in 2028. These robots will perform a series of logistics tasks, including order confirmation, recognition of product models, options, and barcodes, as well as product picking and packing. Prior to this, by next year, the company plans to analyze processes and establish demonstration scenarios and evaluation criteria in a space that replicates the actual work environment.

In the logistics environment for home appliances, a wide variety of product models, capacities, colors, as well as products with similar appearances and multiple box sizes, increase the likelihood of mispicking or misdelivery. Lotte Himart intends to accumulate data on the success and failure rates of humanoid robot operations and to continually incorporate improvements, thereby verifying the potential for a 'fully autonomous continuous process' that allows the robots to independently handle diverse exception cases.

The data gathered through this demonstration process will be utilized to enhance both the accuracy and efficiency of logistics operations. The aim is to reduce repetitive work and fatigue for workers while also minimizing customer inconvenience caused by mispicking and misdelivery.

Previously, in May, Lotte Himart was also selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 'AI Applied Product Rapid Commercialization Support Project (AX Sprint).' The company is advancing a project to optimize logistics operations by utilizing wearable robots and is participating in the development of AI control algorithms optimized for the home appliance logistics environment, applying exoskeleton suits at its logistics center in Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, and using operational data.

Shin Hyunchae, Head of SCM at Lotte Himart, stated, "We expect that the introduction of humanoid robots will help reduce worker fatigue and minimize errors such as mispicking and misdelivery in the logistics process. We will continue to participate in various humanoid robot demonstrations to contribute to the advancement of logistics AI."

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