LG CNS Taps U.S. Robotics Firm to Develop Industrial AI Humanoids

Partners with Skild AI to Create Advanced Robotics Solutions

By Choi Mun-hee, BusinessKorea - LG CNS announced on June 17 that it signed a strategic partnership with Skild AI, a U.S.-based AI robotics company, becoming the first Korean firm to do so. The agreement was signed on June 13. LG CNS also invested approximately 10 billion won (around $7.29 million) in Skild AI through LG Technology Ventures, LG Group’s venture capital arm.

Skild AI is globally recognized for its expertise in AI robotics. Its co-founders, Deepak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, are former professors at Carnegie Mellon University, one of the world’s leading institutions in computer science and robotics. The company’s core technology is the Robot Foundation Model (RFM), which functions as the decision-making brain of robots. This model uses vast amounts of image, text, voice, and video data to enable robots to autonomously navigate environments, manipulate objects, and perform advanced tasks while interacting with their surroundings. It is characterized by its flexibility, allowing it to be applied to all forms of robots, not just humanoids.

Through this partnership, LG CNS will develop industrial AI humanoid solutions based on Skild AI’s RFM. These solutions will be optimized using data from real-world manufacturing and logistics sites, allowing robots to perform a broader range of tasks that traditional robots struggle with. Unlike earlier models that required task-specific development and control -- resulting in high costs and long development times -- RFM enables robots to quickly learn and act autonomously using only workplace photos and video data.

Industrial AI humanoid robots are expected to effectively carry out repetitive and hazardous tasks, including factory equipment monitoring, product assembly, handling hazardous materials, and picking and loading goods in logistics centers. According to LG CNS, the technology also has potential as a service robot platform for urban environments, such as elder care and patrol services.

LG CNS plans to offer integrated AI humanoid robot services to clients across sectors including smart factories, smart logistics, and smart cities. This service ecosystem will include Skild AI’s Robot Foundation Model, LG CNS’s proprietary robot control, management, and operations platform, and its solutions for smart factories, logistics, and urban infrastructure, and robot hardware. Robot hardware will be developed in collaboration with specialized robot manufacturers.

Source: https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=244880