[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] LGELECTRONICS(066570)and ROBOTIS(108490)have agreed to collaborate in the field of actuators, a core component of robots.

ROBOTIS announced on the 22nd that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LGELECTRONICS regarding an equity investment in its Uzbekistan production plant. The agreement outlines LGELECTRONICS’ consideration of investing in the robot actuator plant that ROBOTIS is currently constructing in Uzbekistan.

Actuators are core components that function as the joints of robots. They combine motors, gearboxes, and controllers to enable the movement of robotic arms and legs. In particular, since a single humanoid robot contains dozens of actuators, performance, price, and production capacity are considered key variables for commercialization.

Building on more than 60 years of accumulated motor technology, LGELECTRONICS is pursuing a plan to manufacture actuators—a core robot component—in-house in South Korea. At the same time, the company plans to collaborate with ROBOTIS on actuators to quickly and reliably supply robot actuators with a wide range of specifications tailored to customer needs.

From ROBOTIS’ perspective, this collaboration is expected to serve as a catalyst for expanding its actuator business. ROBOTIS has established a strong foothold in the educational and research robot market based on “Dynamixel,” its robot-specific drive module. Recently, the company has begun its full-scale entry into the humanoid component market by unveiling actuators for humanoids and the “AI Sapiens” humanoid platform.

The two companies have also agreed to collaborate on joint research and development of technologies in the humanoid robotics field, including LGELECTRONICS’ recently announced “AI Sapiens.” The combination of LGELECTRONICS’ expertise in motors, control systems, and manufacturing with ROBOTIS’ actuator technology is expected to accelerate the development of products and the establishment of a supply chain for core humanoid components.

A robotics industry official stated, “As the humanoid market grows, the importance of core components—such as actuators, gearboxes, motors, and controllers—will inevitably increase, in addition to that of finished robots,” adding, “The collaboration between LGELECTRONICS and ROBOTIS is also significant in terms of strengthening the domestic robot component ecosystem.”