“Domestic and international hotel inquiries flood in”… The identity of the ‘ant’ created by a robot enthusiast
Posted by Choi Hyung-chang on 24th Aug 2023
"국내외 호텔 문의 쇄도"…로봇 덕후가 만든 '개미'의 정체 [Original Article]
On the 18th, at the headquarters of ROBOTIS in Magok, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, an autonomous driving robot called “GAEMI” , or ant dressed in a tuxedo greeted me as I entered the lobby of the building. It is 115cm tall, similar to a six-year-old kindergarten student, but it can easily press buttons that are much higher up by stretching out its arms. Its arms can extend 659mm from the front. After receiving a call from an employee on the 6th floor, the GAEMI used its arms to press the button on its own and boarded the elevator. Equipped with an identification card, the GAEMI tagged itself when it got off at each floor and went to the employee who had called it. Kim Byeong-su, CEO of ROBOTIS, boasted, “The GAEMI also delivers snacks to employees in the company.”
ROBOTIS, listed on the KOSDAQ, is a leading company in the autonomous robot sector. CEO Kim, who has been fascinated by robots since his college days, swept various robot competitions and founded the company in 1999 based on this. Last year, sales were approximately 26 billion won. It has been steadily increasing every year. Most of the sales come from the 'actuator', a driving device that acts as a robot joint, but starting this year, it is targeting the global market with autonomous robots.
Robotis is targeting major domestic and international hotels and department stores, especially with the GAEMI released in June. It is using a 'high-end' strategy to counter the offensive of low-priced Chinese products. CEO Kim expressed his pride, saying, "We are the only autonomous robot that has the function of pressing the follow button." He also emphasized, "Most Chinese robots that make up most of the restaurant serving robots cannot move between floors," and "There were many technical and administrative obstacles to having robots get on and off elevators on their own, but we have released them to the market after resolving them."
Major customers include Osaka Rise Hotel in Japan, Ananti Hilton Busan, Novotel Ambassador Gangnam, Seoul City Hall, and Godeok Central I-Park. In particular, apartment complexes such as Godeok Central I-Park are receiving favorable reviews, to the point where they are even sounding out customers for additional purchases.
The domestic industrial robot industry is still shackled by various regulations. As soon as one regulation is lifted, another one is waiting, so much so that the industry calls it “a mountain beyond a mountain.”
In order for autonomous robots to avoid accidents, they need to be equipped with cameras that function as eyes. However, in order for them to roam outdoors, the Personal Information Protection Act, which restricts the collection of video information without the consent of an unspecified number of pedestrians, must be resolved. The Road Traffic Act, which restricts movement on crosswalks, etc., has not been resolved. Even if these issues are resolved, the Parks and Green Spaces Act, which prohibits power devices weighing more than 30 kg from entering parks and engaging in commercial activities, must be lifted. Kim lamented, “We are not making progress in areas where cooperation between ministries is needed.” He pointed out that, in particular, we are lagging behind in competitiveness compared to China, which is actively promoting cutting-edge industries. Kim said, “China’s government paid 50% of the cost of developing robots,” and criticized, “Our country is emphasizing fairness so that benefits are distributed to the majority, so we will inevitably be eliminated by competition later.”
CEO Kim emphasized the coexistence of people and robots. His main idea is that robots will not eliminate the need for people, but will help people focus on their original work. He added, “I want to create an ecosystem where delivery workers do not have to move their bodies directly or use multiple robots.”