Korea to invest over $33.5 mil. until 2030 to develop homegrown AI humanoids

Korea will invest 50.4 billion won ($33.5 million) over the next five years to develop core technologies needed in artificial intelligence (AI)-based humanoid robots with universities and local tech companies, the science ministry said Monday. The Ministry of Science and ICT held the inaugural meeting of the buildup project at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Seoul, the ministry said. The program, led by KIST and set to run until 2030, is part of the government's "K-Moonshot" initiative announced early this year, aimed at integrating AI into research and development of sciences and technologies. Under the plan, LG Electronics Inc. and WIRobotics, a local wearable robot startup, will develop advanced robot platforms and humanoid robot models that can be produced on a mass-scale. Research institutions, including major local universities and LG AI Research, will take part in the development of an AI model that can enable humanoid robots to comprehensively understand visual, physical, verbal and behavioral information. Solid-state batteries developed by LG Energy Soluti