[Edaily, Youngbin Shin] South Korean bipedal humanoid robotics company ROBROS is shifting its business strategy beyond technological validation toward real-world deployment and mass production. Drawing on the manufacturing expertise gained from producing 36 units of its “IGRIS-C” humanoid robot in-house, the company is accelerating efforts to develop robots capable of performing repetitive tasks in industrial environments while improving production efficiency.

“Through the production of IGRIS-C, we have accumulated significant know-how on how humanoid robots should be designed for efficient mass production,” said Changmo Nam, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Deputy CEO of ROBROS, in a recent interview with Edaily. “Going forward, we plan to introduce products that take into account both the capabilities required in real-world industrial settings and manufacturing productivity.”

From Humanoid Investor to Executive Leadership

Nam previously worked as a venture capitalist and led ROBROS’ first investment round. After studying artificial intelligence (AI) at the graduate level at KAIST, he co-founded a medical imaging AI company before joining STIC Ventures, where he spent five years investing in robotics and AI companies.

When Nam first encountered ROBROS in 2023, the company was developing robotic systems for cafés. After assessing the capabilities of its engineering team, Nam proposed that the company develop a humanoid robot. At the time, ROBROS expected it would take several years to complete its humanoid, but development progressed considerably faster than anticipated.

“I invested in ROBROS three times, and each time, the company either met its technology milestones or achieved them ahead of schedule,” Nam said. “That gave me confidence that the engineering team had an accurate understanding of both its current technological capabilities and the challenges it still needed to solve.”

Nam recently joined ROBROS directly as Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy CEO to strengthen the company’s management capabilities and capital markets strategy, areas that had received relatively less attention than research and development.

36 Units Produced, 18 Contracted — Moving Into Industrial Sites

As of early this month, ROBROS had produced a cumulative total of 36 IGRIS-C units and signed sales contracts for 18. Roughly half of the contracted units are being supplied as part of a humanoid robot demonstration project led by the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement (KIRIA), while the remainder have been sold to universities and research institutions.

One representative application is logistics automation. Last year, ROBROS conducted a demonstration project with Lotte Global Logistics and several universities. During the project, IGRIS-C picked up garments and placed them into automated packaging equipment, while also handling tasks such as moving boxes and other items. The project was designed to validate the robot’s potential for deployment in real-world logistics operations.

This year, ROBROS will deploy nine robots for demonstration projects at automotive manufacturing plants, semiconductor cleanrooms, logistics centers, and other industrial sites. While the objects being handled and operating environments differ from site to site, the core tasks generally involve picking up objects and moving them to designated locations or placing boxes onto conveyor belts.

“Although the industries differ, the fundamental tasks are similar in that the robot picks up objects, moves them, or places them into equipment,” Nam explained. “The goal is to determine whether the same robotic platform can operate reliably across different environments.”

Following these demonstration projects, the next challenge will be generating repeat purchases funded directly from companies’ own budgets. With the humanoid market still in its early stages, prospective customers are themselves exploring which processes are best suited for humanoid robots. Demonstrating high task success rates, continuous operating capability, and ease of maintenance in actual industrial environments will therefore be critical.

ROBROS is currently discussing follow-up projects with some of its existing customers. According to the company, businesses that have participated in initial demonstration projects are beginning to show interest in expanding the range of applications for humanoid robots.

Expanding the Lineup With Heavy-Payload, Mass-Production Models

ROBROS plans to introduce a heavy-payload model later this year that can handle heavier components and materials in industrial environments. Rather than focusing on performing an impressive movement once, the new model is designed to reliably carry a consistent load while repeatedly performing industrial tasks.

The company is also incorporating the manufacturing experience gained from producing 36 IGRIS-C units in-house into its next-generation products. ROBROS is refining its designs to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce costs by decreasing the number of components and the amount of assembly work required.

“If we redesign the robot so that it can be assembled more easily, we can improve both production speed and price competitiveness,” Nam said. “Improving productivity so that we can supply more robots to industrial sites will be one of our most important priorities going forward.”

For the Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model, which effectively serves as the robot’s brain, ROBROS plans to collaborate with external AI companies. Under this approach, ROBROS will provide its expertise in hardware and whole-body control, while software companies will complement the platform with higher-level task intelligence.

“It is difficult for a single company to develop and advance every technology on its own,” Nam said. “We are discussing collaborations with Korean AI companies, and one of the main objectives of our ongoing fundraising round is to expand these partnerships.”

“Our most important goal is to increase humanoid robot sales and revenue and achieve self-sustaining growth in both the Korean and global markets, rather than relying solely on government support,” he added.