POSCO DX to develop self-driving unmanned facilities

POSCO DX Co., the IT services subsidiary of South Korean steelmaker POSCO Holdings Inc., announced on Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Aiyoubot, the domestic LiDAR specialist to develop autonomous driving and collision prevention systems utilizing LiDAR sensors.

The two companies aim to equip moving equipment such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), cranes, and raw material transport vehicles, operated unmanned on industrial sites, with LiDAR sensors and other necessary components to enable autonomous driving.

They plan to develop systems capable of preventing collisions and other safety accidents in advance, intending to deploy them widely across industrial sites.

LiDAR is a sensor that perceives shapes and spaces by measuring the time difference between emitting laser beams and their reflection from objects.

It assists moving equipment in autonomously recognizing nearby individuals or obstacles in the front and rear and, based on proximity, decelerating or stopping the equipment to prevent collisions, thereby enabling safe autonomous driving.

POSCO DX, promoting the unmanned operation of moving equipment at industrial sites, will oversee the development of autonomous driving applications and collision prevention systems. Aiyoubot will supply its LiDAR sensors.

Aiyoubot 's sensors are characterized by a simplified structural design compared to existing products, making them compact and lightweight.

They are also resilient to external environmental factors and capable of prolonged usage.

POSCO DX, in collaboration with POSCO, plans to supply autonomous driving and collision prevention systems equipped with LiDAR sensors to moving equipment operated at steel mills and secondary battery production plants.

They aim to expand their deployment to industrial sites such as external production sites, plants, and construction sites.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com