LG Electronics deploys autonomous serving robots in resort near Seoul

SEOUL -- In an effort to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous serving robots, LG Electronics has deployed smart robots at a resort facility near Seoul to carry dishes at restaurants or support a check-in service.

LG said in a statement on November 11 that the company has deployed three serving robots and two home robots in Konjiam Resort southeast of Seoul. The serving robots will carry dishes from restaurant kitchens to tables while home serving robots will greet customers and help their check-in and out. LG's serving robots will also carry amenities and food to rooms.

In South Korea, known for super-fast mobile networks ideal for testing autonomous robots, companies are competing to become a key player in the robot service market. LG's autonomous robot lineup consists of different types of CLOi robots for hotels, hospitals, offices and airports.

Woowa Brothers, the operator of South Korea's favorite food delivery app Baedal Minjok, has demonstrated different types of delivery robots including a six-wheeler food carrier that can navigate itself from a restaurant to a customer and a cabinet-type server robot that navigates itself inside a restaurant to deliver food to customers sitting at a table.

Woowa joined hands with HDC I-Controls, a home network platform developer, to develop and test delivery robots that can pass through security gates and use elevators. Next year, the company will test its robots out into crowded urban environments full of people and cars.