KT showcases AI-powered robots, traffic control program at tech fair

KT Corp., a major South Korean telecommunications company, unveiled its new digital transformation services using artificial intelligence, big data and cloud software at the World IT Show 2022 held on Wednesday in Seoul. The show is the biggest annual information and communications tech (ICT) fair in Korea, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT Technology.  

AI-powered assistants and a disinfection robot greeted visitors at the entrance of the KT booth. The disinfection robot, which debuted at an ICT fair in Korea, is equipped with AI and big data for self-driving. It moved around the booth, purifying the air and sterilizing the floor.

The disinfection robot cleans the air using plasma technology in a designated area, KT’s Chief Executive Ku Hyeon-Mo said. The robot independently enables the operation of the disinfection system in public spaces for 24 hours.      

The telecom company also presented its digital transformation solution for road transportation. The firm’s traffic control center is based on digital twin technology, a program that uses real-world data to create simulations. The control center analyzes data from closed-circuit television, provides traffic information in real-time and suggests ways to improve traffic flow. This will significantly reduce the 67 trillion won estimated annual social cost of traffic congestion, a KT official at the fair said.

KT announced on Wednesday that it has completed demonstrating a cooperative intelligent transport system (C-ITS), which supports telecommunications between vehicles, road users and infrastructure, on some 18 major roads in the southeastern city of Ulsan. The demonstration project cost 28 billion won ($22.7 million), including 15 billion won the government has granted.    

TO BOOST ROBOTICS BUSINESS AS FUTURE ENGINE GROWTH

At its booth at the tech fair, the company set up a space for testing an interactive call assistant for small and mid-sized business owners. The AI-powered assistant can receive calls, answer inquiries, place orders and make reservations.   

It also showed KT Real Dance, an AI-based K-pop dance coaching app. The app, to be commercialized in the first half of this year, analyzes users’ dance movements, gives tips for improvement and offers information on calories burnt and level of toning for each body part.

Lastly, KT introduced collaborative efforts between itself and its domestic partners, including mobility startup Hycore’s electric wheelchair. The wheelchair has a joystick and wheels embedded with Internet of Things technology and an ultrasound sensor to prevent accidents.

KT will accelerate its robotics businesses as a future growth engine, the CEO said during the press briefing. “Robots will be used in everyday life soon. With our long preparation in robotics development, we will lead the creation of a healthy robotic ecosystem in Korea,” he said.

The telecom company is expanding its robotics businesses in the medical sector. Last September, it signed an agreement with Samsung Medical Center (SMC) to transform the hospital into a robot-driven smart hospital powered by 5G technologies. The two parties agreed to mobilize a wide range of robots from logistics robots that deliver blood to operating rooms for surgeries to disinfection robots that keep the hospital sanitized.

Write to Han-Gyeol Seon at always@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.