LG Electronics targets 2027 launch of Nvidia-backed humanoid robot

Detailed summary

LG Electronics Inc. aims to begin commercializing a bipedal humanoid robot co-developed with Nvidia Corp. in the second half of 2027, initially targeting universities, research…

LG Electronics Inc. aims to begin commercializing a bipedal humanoid robot co-developed with Nvidia Corp. in the second half of 2027, initially targeting universities, research centers, and educational institutions.

The company presented its development and supply plans at a robotics investor forum on Monday, according to securities industry sources on Tuesday. The plans follow an August memorandum of understanding between LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang. The companies said at the time that they planned to unveil the robot in the first quarter of 2027.

LG Electronics plans to supply the robots with software development tools to universities, research centers and educational institutions to foster an ecosystem of applications and developers. It also aims to leverage data collected from real-world deployments to expand its robotics business.

The company is testing its self-developed wheeled home assistant robot, LG Cloid, at its plants in Tennessee, U.S., and Changwon, South Korea.

At the Tennessee plant, trials include transporting washing machine top panels and aligning and loading drain pumps. LG Electronics is also conducting a painting-process trial in collaboration with Nvidia. At the Changwon plant, the robot is being tested for actuator assembly and packaging.

LG Electronics has accumulated 170,000 hours of robot training data and aims to increase the total to more than 500,000 hours by the end of this year. It also plans to extend the robot’s tested applications to other LG Group production facilities and customers using its smart factory solutions.

The company also plans to sell Axium, its actuator product and a key component for humanoid robots, to external customers. Mass production began this year, with pilot applications planned by year-end and sales to other robotics manufacturers targeted for 2027.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Pulse (Maeil Business). To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.