LG Elec., Uplus team up to expand service robot business

South Korea’s home appliance giant LG Electronics Inc. and mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. will join forces to expand their service robot businesses with the LG CLOi ServeBot, the companies announced on Sept. 22.

The two parties agreed to jointly plan new businesses related to service robots, expand sales channels and develop robot control platforms.

To reach the goal, the LG Group affiliates look to combine LG Electronics’ artificial intelligence and network technology with LG Uplus’ business-to-business wired and wireless communication services.

In doing so, the companies are aiming to accelerate digital transformation in customer services such as greeting, receiving orders and delivering products.

The companies have conducted a pilot project operating CLOi ServeBots at a number of Cantonese, Korean and Italian restaurants managed by Theborn Korea Inc. since end-August. Theborn is a food franchise giant led by Korean chef and television cooking show host Baek Jong-won.

CLOi ServeBots are taking food orders and providing delivery services in the restaurants, connected to LG Uplus’ communication networks in the stores.

Launched in 2020, the CLOi Servebot can safely deliver food to multiple locations in a restaurant with indoor self-driving and obstacle avoidance technologies. With a maximum of three shelves per unit, the robot can hold up to 10 kilograms of products on each shelf.

The service robots have been used for delivering medicine, emergency kits and lab specimens at Seoul National University Hospital as well as providing concierge services at the Courtyard by Marriott in Suwon.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.