Helping visitors with directions, delivery, surveillance, and monitoring

Guider robots, delivery robots, and surveillance/monitoring robots at Bupyeong station’s underground arcade in Incheon appear to be a massive hit with visitors.

On November 25, Incheon hosted a launching ceremony for the “AI/5G-based large-scale robot demonstration project,” which won a government-sponsored contest for new tech projects, inside the underground arcade at Bupyeong station in Incheon.

▲ Helper robots, delivery robots, and surveillance/monitoring robots at Bupyeong station’s underground arcade in Incheon appear to be a massive hit with visitors.

The “AI/5G-based large-scale robot demonstration project” selected last May as part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's contest for new tech projects is designed to help locals and solve social problems by introducing multiple types of robots to facilities frequently visited by citizens, such as shopping malls and major subway stations. Another goal of the project is to develop companies specializing in service robots and to popularize the use of robots in real life.

The project is expected to cost KRW 1.9 billion in total. For two years (2022~2023), Incheon will test fifteen robots (five types), including guider robots, delivery robots, baking robots, wearable robots, and surveillance/monitoring robots, at Bupyeong station and its underground arcade in Incheon. Incheon Technopark, Incheon Transportation Corporation, Korea Institute of Electronics Technology, Yujin Robot Co., Ltd., and Syscon Co., Ltd. will work together to operate and analyze the robots in real-life situations.

▲ The “AI/5G-basedlarge-scale robot demonstration project” selected last May as part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's contest for new tech projects is designed to help locals and solve social problems by introducing multiple types of robots to facilities frequently visited by citizens, such as shopping malls and major subway stations. Another goal of the project is to develop companies specializing in service robots and to popularize the use of robots in real life. The picture is of a bakery using a delivery robot to make deliveries.

For this project, Incheon built the “Incheon AI/5G Robot Demonstration Support Center” in the underground arcade at Bupyeong station, which will be used as a field office for testing the robots. In addition to various robots deployed as part of the project, Incheon installed an integrated remote control system for real-time collection and control of sensor and image information from robots using the 5G communication network at the Center.

The Center will use this integrated remote control system to inspect the performance of the robots (all five types) at Bupyeong station and its underground arcade next year.

▲ Going forward, delivery robots are expected to become a staple at Bupyeong station’s underground arcade.

Objectives of each type of robot include patrolling the station (surveillance/monitoring robots), delivering goods between stores inside the underground arcade (delivery robots), baking bread (bakery robots), assisting station workers and merchants with high-intensity and repetitive tasks (wearable robots), and guiding visitors (guider robots).