Naver aims to expand use of its cloud robotics technology

A report said that the firm has been working on integrating these robots into its offices, with the hope of exporting the technology to other countries amid interest in Japan, Saudi Arabia and parts of Europe

South Korea’s Naver reportedly wants to export its 5G-based cloud robotics technology to new countries.

The Seoul-based firm makes service robots dubbed Rookies, the subject of a Tuesday report by the Financial Times.

That report said that the firm has been working on integrating these robots into its offices, where they carry out tasks such as delivering meals and packages, with the hope of exporting the technology to other countries amid interest in Japan, Saudi Arabia and parts of Europe.

There are not many firms globally who can offer this high-quality robot service at this scale, Seok Sang-ok, CEO of Naver Labs, Naver’s research and development arm, told the Financial Times.

This requires a lot of seamless cooperation with many of our affiliates. Naver’s wide-ranging services, including search engines, online shopping and social networking, have allowed us to experiment with several robot technologies and services, all in-house, Sang-ok added.

The report notes that Naver — like Amazon — has both an eCommerce and cloud business, spending around a quarter of sales on research and development into things such as AI, robotics and autonomous driving.

According to the Financial Times, the same digital twin technology Naver uses to make 3D scans of cities and buildings helps its robots perceive their surroundings and plot their routes. The robots use a normal video camera with no advanced processors and navigation tools, thus lowering their production costs, Naver added.

We have tested the robots for over a year and now have a lot of data on human interaction with robots, Seok added. We will focus on exporting IT services, as I believe our robotics technology using the cloud will become much better in two to three years.

Naver’s ambitions come at the end of a year that has seen growing interest in automation in a number of sectors.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of Scommerce. The information provided on Scommerce is intended for informational purposes only. Scommerce is not liable for any financial losses incurred. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions.