"From a Humanoid Picking Up Lip Balm to a Landmine-Detection Robot... The Brain in Action Before Our Eyes"

Korean Technologies Showcased at "Physical AI Tech Day"
Bae Kyunghoon: "Time to Deliver Results to Become a Global Leader"

"Pick up the lip balm and put it in the black tray."

Neuromeka's humanoid robot "Eireu" picks up an object at the "Physical AI Tech Day" event held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 14th. Lee Eunseo, staff reporter.

When the reporter placed a finger-sized lip balm on the desk and instructed the Skill Foundation Platform to perform the task, the object recognized by the humanoid robot "Eireu" appeared in blue on the screen. The robot's hand joints then picked up the lip balm and moved it to a basket. This is "zero-shot" technology, which enables a robot to pick up an unfamiliar object and move it to a desired location. Kim Sangwook, a manager at Neuromeka, explained, "Zero-shot tasks enable flexible responses even in unstructured environments," adding, "We are conducting technology validation for manufacturing processes involving moving or stacking objects."

A four-legged robot designed to detect landmines, developed by maum.ai, appeared at the event and caught visitors' attention. A 3D camera mounted on the front of the robot recognizes the ground and automatically adjusts the height of its body, while a metal detector and ground-penetrating sensor scan the surface within a 1-meter radius. Lee Seokchan, a manager at maum.ai, said, "It carries out indoor and outdoor patrol missions using autonomous driving and AI-based environmental recognition technology," adding, "It can also perform tasks in hazardous areas that are difficult for people to access, including landmine detection."

At the 20 corporate booths set up at the "Physical AI Tech Day" event held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on October 14, domestic companies showcased physical AI technologies ranging from semiconductors for AI inference and AI-based factory optimization to collaborative robots and humanoids.

More than 500 industry, academic, and research representatives from Korea and abroad took part in the event, held under the theme "The Brain in Action." They shared global technology trends and future development directions for physical AI and discussed ways to work together to strengthen Korea's technological competitiveness and expand the technology across industries.

Ryu Jemyung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, delivers opening remarks at the Physical AI Tech Day held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 14th. Photo by Lee Eunseo.

In his opening remarks, Ryu Jemyung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, said, "Physical AI is one of the three megaprojects that will lead Korea's future, alongside semiconductors and AI data centers. It is a core technology in the AI transformation that will boost productivity and safety across industries such as manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, healthcare, and mobility, and create new products and services." He added, "We will work closely with academia, industry, research institutions, and relevant ministries to support the spread of on-the-ground results across regions and industries and help turn them into greater national competitiveness."

Experts from Korea and abroad also delivered keynote speeches, including Jeon Byunggon, CEO of FriendlyAI; Kim Sangbae, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and Lee Gyubin, a professor at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). Technical presentations followed on topics such as "Intelligence That Moves the Field" and "Precision Intelligence That Sees Through the Laws of Physics."

"Time to Deliver Tangible Results to Make Physical AI a Global Leader"

The Ministry of Science and ICT held "Physical AI Tech Week" on October 13 and 14. On the first day, October 13, participants shared the achievements of the second-phase Physical AI Alliance, launched last June. They discussed concrete action plans across three working groups—technology full stack, industry bridge, and governance—covering everything from securing technology to industry-specific demonstrations and commercialization, standardization, and global cooperation.

Yonhap News Agency

Bae Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, stressed that it was time to demonstrate tangible results to make Korea a global leader in physical AI. Bae said, "By bringing together our AI and ICT capabilities and world-class manufacturing base, we can build sufficient competitiveness in physical AI and become a global leader." He added, "Now that the Physical AI Alliance has shifted from discussion to execution, it is time to deliver results that people can see and feel bringing about real change."

He also called for action, saying, "As the working groups and action groups turn their tasks into concrete plans, it is important to create a virtuous cycle that leads from technology development to field demonstrations, investment, and commercialization." He added, "Please develop successful cases early that work in real-world settings and enable companies and the public to feel the change, and turn them into tangible results that move us toward global leadership in physical AI."

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