LG Electronics teams up with MIT robot expert to develop next-generation robot technology

SEOUL -- Sangbae Kim, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will work with LG Electronics to develop next-generation robot technology.

LG said on Wednesday that its robot research center would begin joint research work with Kim this month. The company plans to establish a robotics lab in Boston where U.S. robot-related companies are flocking to conduct technical research.

Kim's research focuses on the bio-inspired robot design by extracting principles from animals. Kim's achievements include a climbing robot, Stickybot, that utilizes the directional adhesives to climb smooth surfaces, and the MIT Cheetah capable of stable outdoor running and autonomous jumping over an obstacle at an efficiency of animals.

LG has developed various service robots such as CLOi, an artificial intelligence-based autonomous service robot which provides navigational services and controls connected appliances such as an air conditioning system. At Incheon International Airport, South Korea's main gateway, CLOi intelligent robots are helping travelers navigate through the complex.