Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are poised to compete in the robotics market this year, expanding beyond their AI appliance ventures. Samsung is pushing its technology forward through organizational restructuring and expert recruitment, aiming to broaden its reach from business-to-business (B2B) to business-to-consumer (B2C) sales. Meanwhile, LG Electronics is enhancing its offerings with AI-powered robots.
According to industry sources, Samsung has completed the development and mass production of its first wearable robot, Bot Fit, which is set to launch in the third quarter. Bot Fit is designed to assist individuals with mobility issues and enhance physical activity. Since late last year, Samsung has been supplying Bot Fit prototypes to senior communities, with plans to enter the B2C market within the year.
To bolster its robotics business, Samsung has restructured its organization by dissolving the Robot Business Team in the Device eXperience Division and reallocating research and development personnel under the chief technology officer. A Samsung representative explained, “The R&D team has completed the development of Bot Fit and is preparing for the next steps. The reorganization aims to strengthen the robotics business.”
Additionally, Samsung appointed Cho Hye-kyung, a robotics expert and applied AI professor at Hansung University, as a new outside director. Last year, Samsung Research hired former Nvidia engineer Kwon Jung-hyun as an executive, further enhancing its robotics expertise.
Samsung is also developing next-generation humanoid robots, a project receiving keen interest from Chairman Lee Jae-yong. The companion robot Ballie, first unveiled as a prototype at CES 2020 and showcased in a commercial-ready model at CES 2024, is expected to launch this year following recent trademark filings.
LG Electronics will showcase its service robot CLOi, which now uses Google’s generative AI model Gemini, at the Google Cloud Summit on June 27. The two companies have been collaborating since last year, with a potential market release in the second half of this year. Industry experts anticipate that CLOi, equipped with Gemini, will demonstrate improved communication abilities. Gemini has surpassed human experts in the MMLU (Massive Multitask Language Understanding), a test covering 57 subjects, including law and medicine.
Currently, LG’s CLOi is used in various applications such as guidance, serving, and delivery. The company plans to leverage its collaboration with Google to further penetrate the commercial robotics market. LG is also expected to release a home robot, the Smarthome AI Agent, next year. This robot will feature AI capabilities similar to CLOi, enabling it to engage in conversations and understand emotions through voice and facial expressions.
