Doosan Robotics wins two state R&D projects for on-device AI collaborative robots
Version 2: New documents add the project durations, the participating research organisations and demand companies for both national R&D tasks, confirm the 45-month welding project with DeepX, Saige and National Changwon University as co-researchers, and add a further headline report on the 98.9 billion won selection; the newly available Newsis article text proved to be about an unrelated matter.
In short
Doosan Robotics said two proposals — a next-generation collaborative robot project and an intelligent welding solution project — were selected as national R&D tasks under programs co-run by the industry ministry and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology. The company put the combined research budget at about 98.9 billion won, with about 68.1 billion won in government funding. The robotics project targets robots that run without an external PC or cloud on a domestic AI chip and aims for standard products from 2031; the welding project is demonstrated at the Doosan Enerbility nuclear center.
Read the full story 3 min read
Doosan Robotics said on Oct. 6 that two proposals it submitted — a next-generation collaborative robot project and an intelligent welding solution project — were selected as national R&D tasks under the K-on-device AI semiconductor technology development program and the robot industry technology development program, co-run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology. The company put the combined research and development budget at about 98.9 billion won, including about 68.1 billion won in government funding. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
The first project covers collaborative robots that perceive, judge and control on their own without an external PC or cloud. A domestic AI system semiconductor carrying an AI-only computing unit (NPU) with real-time communication and control functions would be mounted on the robots, which would use camera, tactile, force-torque and voice information to decide on tasks on site, according to Seoul Economic Daily. Doosan Robotics plans three collaborative robots in 5 kg, 10 kg and 20 kg payload classes and an industrial humanoid capable of two-arm work and omnidirectional movement. Yonhap and ZDNet Korea reported plans for 72-hour uninterrupted demonstrations at two or more customer sites and international safety certification, followed by commercialization as standard products from 2031. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
ZDNet Korea reported that the first project runs for 54 months, with Doosan Robotics as lead and Aidin Robotics, Mobilint, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Saige and the industry-academic cooperation foundations of Korea, Dongguk, Sejong and Yonsei universities taking part. It said there are two demand companies and that one of them is Doosan Robotics. [ 3 ]
The second project combines AI and digital twins to automate high-difficulty welding. The robot uses a camera to recognise the weld target, corrects its position and learns by imitating skilled workers' motions and weaving, ZDNet Korea and Seoul Economic Daily reported. The stated goals are at least 95 percent agreement with the skilled worker's welding path, path error within plus or minus 3 mm by national accredited testing standards, automation of multilayer welding of five or more layers and a work-time reduction of more than 50 percent. Demonstrations take place at the Doosan Enerbility nuclear center, starting with tack welding, preheating and welding in nuclear equipment manufacturing, then extending to shipbuilding, plants and defense after nuclear quality certification. The project runs 45 months, with DeepX, Saige and the National Changwon University industry-academic cooperation foundation as co-researchers and Doosan Enerbility as the demand company. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Yonhap reported that commercialization could expand collaborative robot supply to security-sensitive sites such as nuclear power, defense and bio that had held back automation over communication latency and data-leak concerns. Seoul Economic Daily said the company expects the same expansion. Doosan Robotics said the projects amount to an attempt to integrate AI semiconductors, software and robots with domestic technology. [ 2 , 6 ]
Doosan Robotics president Park In-won said the labour shortage and ageing of skilled workers in manufacturing are structural problems that adding automation equipment alone cannot solve, and that the company will combine on-device AI semiconductors with its own collaborative robot platform to develop physical AI collaborative robots that learn and reproduce skilled workers' tacit knowledge. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Coverage differed in detail. Asia Economy gave the payload classes of the planned robots but not the welding accuracy targets; Chosun Ilbo carried only a summary; Newsis covered the win in its headline, while the article text available from that outlet concerned an unrelated matter. ZDNet Korea was alone in reporting the 54-month duration of the first project and its list of participants. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The selection ties a domestic collaborative robot maker to domestically developed AI system semiconductors and to welding work at a nuclear equipment site, which the documents link to security-sensitive settings. Because the stated commercialization target is 2031, any effect on certification, supply or manufacturing employment would come only after years of development and testing.
Key facts
- Doosan Robotics said two proposals were selected as national R&D tasks under the K-on-device AI semiconductor technology development program and the robot industry technology development program, co-run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The two projects have a total research and development budget of about 98.9 billion won, of which about 68.1 billion won is government funding. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The first project aims at collaborative robots that perceive, judge and control on their own without an external PC or cloud, using a domestic AI system semiconductor (SoC) carrying an AI-only computing unit (NPU) and real-time communication and control functions. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- Doosan Robotics plans three collaborative robots in 5 kg, 10 kg and 20 kg payload classes and an industrial humanoid capable of two-arm work and omnidirectional movement, targeting commercialization as standard products from 2031 after demonstrations and international safety certification. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The second project combines AI and digital twins to automate high-difficulty welding, with demonstrations at the Doosan Enerbility nuclear center starting with tack welding, preheating and welding in nuclear equipment manufacturing. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- Welding targets are at least 95 percent agreement between the robot's welding path and that of a skilled worker, path error within plus or minus 3 mm by national accredited testing standards, automation of multilayer welding of five or more layers and a work-time reduction of more than 50 percent. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The welding project runs 45 months, with DeepX, Saige and the National Changwon University industry-academic cooperation foundation as co-researchers and Doosan Enerbility as the demand company. [ 3 , 6 ]
- Doosan Robotics president Park In-won said the company will combine on-device AI semiconductors with its own collaborative robot platform to develop physical AI collaborative robots that learn and reproduce skilled workers' know-how. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Two Doosan Robotics proposals were selected as national R&D tasks under programs co-run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology, with a combined budget of about 98.9 billion won and about 68.1 billion won in government support. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- One project develops collaborative robots that run on a domestic AI system semiconductor with an NPU and real-time communication and control functions, without an external PC or cloud. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- Doosan Robotics plans three collaborative robots in 5 kg, 10 kg and 20 kg payload classes and an industrial humanoid capable of two-arm work and omnidirectional movement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The robots are to undergo 72-hour uninterrupted demonstrations at two or more customer sites and obtain international safety certification, with commercialization as standard products targeted from 2031. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The second project applies AI and digital twins to automated welding, demonstrated at the Doosan Enerbility nuclear center and later extended to shipbuilding, plants and defense after nuclear quality certification. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The welding project targets at least 95 percent path agreement with skilled workers, path error within plus or minus 3 mm, automation of five or more layers and a work-time reduction of more than 50 percent, and runs for 45 months. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- DeepX, Saige and the National Changwon University industry-academic cooperation foundation are co-researchers on the welding project, with Doosan Enerbility as the demand company. [ 3 , 6 ]
- Doosan Robotics president Park In-won said on-device AI semiconductors and the company's own collaborative robot platform will be combined to develop physical AI collaborative robots that learn and reproduce skilled workers' know-how. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The first project's duration of 54 months. Only ZDNet Korea reports this figure; other documents give no period for that project.
- Participants in the first project — Aidin Robotics, Mobilint, the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Saige and the industry-academic cooperation foundations of Korea, Dongguk, Sejong and Yonsei universities. Only ZDNet Korea lists these participants, and it also states there are two demand companies, one of which is Doosan Robotics, without naming the other.
- Which company supplies the domestic AI system semiconductor. The documents describe the chip and name research partners, but none identifies the semiconductor manufacturer or whether a partner supplies it.
- Start dates and contractual terms of the two national projects. The documents give budgets, project durations for one project and a 2031 commercialization target, but no start dates or contract terms.
- Newsis's reporting on the selection beyond its headline. The article text available from Newsis concerns an unrelated matter, so only its headline on the 98.9 billion won national project could be used.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Asia Economy publishes its report on the two Doosan Robotics national project selections. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the same announcement, adding welding performance targets and testing plans. [ 2 ]
- ZDNet Korea reports the selection, adding project durations and consortium members. [ 3 ]
- Chosun Ilbo publishes a summary of the project selection. [ 4 ]
- Newsis publishes a headline reporting the 98.9 billion won national project win. [ 5 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes its account, including the welding project period and co-researchers. [ 6 ]
- Doosan Robotics announces the selection of the two projects as national R&D tasks. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]