Seoul: South Korean robotics startup Neubility is gearing up for international expansion with its suite of autonomous delivery, patrol, and logistics robots, as revealed by its chief executive. "We recently submitted a written quotation to robot distributors in Japan," stated Lee Sang-min, founder and CEO of Neubility, during an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "Once we receive confirmation later this month, we plan to launch our logistics robot services in Japan next year."
According to Yonhap News Agency, Japan's service robot market is poised for growth due to increasing labor costs and a rising demand for automation, creating new opportunities beyond its well-established industrial robot sector. Established in 2017, Neubility has successfully secured 53 billion won ($37 million) from investors such as Samsung Venture Investment Corp., IMM Investment Corp., and KB Investment. The company currently operates its autonomous Neubie delivery and Neubie Patrol robots.
Neubility is also working on a larger, heavy-duty logistics robot designed for commercial use at logistics centers, which will weigh from several hundred kilograms to multiple tons. Over the past eight years, Neubility has focused on providing food delivery and patrol robot services across approximately 50 locations in South Korea, including apartment complexes, business districts, industrial zones, and college campuses.
In the international arena, Neubility has been offering food delivery robot services since November 2023 at Oxagon base camp in Saudi Arabia, which houses around 100,000 people involved in the Neom City smart project. "Separately from the Oxagon project, we plan to begin operating food delivery robots at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Riyadh early next year and launch a pilot project at York University in Canada," Lee added.
The company is also running a pilot delivery service in Tokyo and previously deployed patrol robots in an upscale residential area in Miami, USA. To further penetrate new markets, Neubility is partnering with developers of bipedal and quadrupedal robots, having signed a memorandum of understanding with domestic four-legged robot maker Lion Robotics and reaching a similar agreement with an undisclosed Chinese manufacturer.
Neubility's CEO emphasized that their strength lies in their commercialization record, accumulated data, and technological competitive edge in wheeled robots. These assets can be adapted to complement their partners' four-legged robots to address customers' evolving needs. Despite speculations about future product diversification, Lee clarified that Neubility has no intentions of producing high-end models, preferring to focus on mass-produced, widely used models akin to a Hyundai Sonata.
Neubility plans to continue enhancing its Neubie platform to deliver tailored services at competitive prices within South Korea's expanding robot services market. The company's robots utilize Neubility Sense software, combined with Nvidia Corp.'s edge computing platform and cameras, to process visual data and navigate complex environments. Neubility intends to persist in using Nvidia chips due to their energy efficiency and compatibility.
The firm was showcased at Computex 2024 in Taiwan upon Nvidia's invitation, signaling recognition of Neubility's technical and commercial milestones. Moving beyond its current lineup, Neubility is developing a semi-humanoid, or autonomous mobile manipulator robot (AMMR), featuring robotic arms for patrol and logistics functions, expected to launch in four to five years.
Additionally, Neubility is part of the government-led K-Humanoid Alliance, which aims to create a fully domestic humanoid robot using Korean technology, with the government planning to invest over 1 trillion won in the project by 2030. Neubility anticipates doubling its revenue from an estimated 5 billion won this year to 10 billion won next year, though it projects operating losses for the next five years.
"Tesla, founded in 2003, posted losses for more than 10 years before turning a profit through mass production," Lee remarked. "Similarly, we aim to produce robots that can be widely utilized across industries." Lee also mentioned Neubility's plans to apply for a business evaluation with the Korea Exchange (KRX) next year, targeting a public listing in 2027.