K-Robot Industry Evolves From Slaughtering to Cooking and Patrol, Startup Investment Also Active
The robot industry has a value chain that connects R&D, manufacturing, sales, and services, creating large industrial and technological spillovers. Recently, it has converged with AI, big data, IoT, and cloud technologies, accelerating the sophistication of robots.
As a result, specialized robots with new purposes and functions are emerging, drawing attention. Venture investments into the startups that build these robots are also growing.
According to industry sources on the 14th, Robos, a company developing automation solutions for cattle and pig slaughtering, raised 300 million won in seed funding from Series Ventures, a Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam accelerator, on July 10, and on July 8 was selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups Deep Tech TIPS program, securing up to 1.5 billion won in R&D funds.
Deep Tech TIPS is a program that selects high-technology startups for up to 1.5 billion won in development funding over three years under the government's Super Gap Startup 1000+ project. Robos, founded just over a year ago, is viewed as a promising player in solving chronic labor and operational issues in the slaughtering industry.
Robos was founded in April 2022 by robot engineers from LG Electronics and Hyundai Robotics. Using Lidar vision and OpenCV-based object detection, it analyzes vision data from biological materials and provides an unmanned smart factory solution for slaughterhouses with its hybrid robot system.
Robos plans to grow into a company that provides core services across manufacturing, food, and medical industries by integrating its machine vision and robot technologies.
Park Junsang, CEO of Series Ventures, said automation in slaughtering requires a strong fusion of robotics and advanced machine vision among the 10 super-gap fields, and praised the company's business capabilities despite being technology-driven.
Service robot R&D company Robros raised 1.6 billion won in seed funding on the 21st from Stick Ventures, Primer Saje Partners, and GS Retail CVC.
Founded in 2021, Robros is led by CEO Noh Seungjun, a UCLA graduate, CTO Park Hyunjoon with a PhD from Seoul National University, and CDO Kim Jinyoung with a master's from the Royal College of Art. The company develops various service robots.
Robros focuses on robots specialized for safe service environments, aiming to develop service robots that can work with people safely and efficiently.
Robros opened a 24-hour unmanned robot F&B store in Seongsu-dong called Better Than Yours this year. Unmanned robots provide personalized drinks. The company plans to expand from F&B into home care and medical fields.
Nam Changmo of Stick Ventures said he decided quickly after seeing Robros' strong team and field-based R&D capabilities, and expects the company to fill unmet needs starting with F&B.
Earlier, Beyond Honeycomb, which develops AI-based cooking robots, raised a 7 billion won Series A on the 4th, and Dogu Space, which provides smart patrol services with autonomous robots, raised Series A funding from Samick THK CVC Samick Mates Ventures.
Beyond Honeycomb developed an AI chef solution that learns and analyzes cooking conditions in real time to keep taste and texture consistent at scale. Dogu Space provides patrol services along with control, monitoring, and security tools.
Dogu Space CEO Kim Jinhyo said patrol security robots will be the most compelling and practical robot service after robot vacuums, serving robots, and delivery robots, and said the company will expand business after years of R&D.