[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] “Welders don’t just weld. The same should be true for robots.”

Michael Perry, Head of Commercial Strategy at Persona AI, explained why humanoids are needed in industrial settings using shipyard welding as an example at the “Humanoid Summit Seoul 2026” held at COEX in Seoul on the 22nd.

Persona AI is an industrial humanoid robotics company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It targets heavy industry sites—such as shipbuilding, energy, and construction—as its primary markets. In South Korea, the company is jointly developing a welding humanoid for shipyards with HD HYUNDAI(267250).

In reality, welders do more than just hold a torch and weld. Before starting work, they align steel plates and manage cables. After welding is complete, they grind down the welded joints and inspect their condition. Perry emphasized that robots must be able to perform these various tasks sequentially to achieve higher operational efficiency.

Workspaces in shipyards are also irregular. General Manager Perry explained that during a recent visit to a shipyard, he personally witnessed a situation where a worker had to twist his body to squeeze through a hole measuring 40 cm wide and 40 cm tall. Robots also need the ability to navigate around steel structures and climb up and down stairs and ladders.

That is why he turned his attention to humanoid robots. Rather than redesigning existing factories to accommodate robots, he believes robots should be able to operate directly within spaces designed for human workers. He emphasized that they must be able to adapt to changing work methods while using existing tools and performing various tasks.

He saw limitations in existing automation methods. Automating an entire production line requires massive capital investment in equipment. It may even necessitate halting factory operations. Conversely, assigning tasks such as welding, material handling, and cable management to separate robots makes the system more complex and increases the number of pieces of equipment that need to be managed.

PersonaAI utilizes human work to train robots. The process involves capturing workers’ movements via motion capture, collecting data while humans remotely operate the robots, and then developing autonomous operations through simulation and reinforcement learning.

Perry, the general manager, explained that it is difficult to teach robots all the complex tasks of an actual worksite through simulation alone, and that the movements and tool-handling techniques of skilled workers serve as a crucial data source.

Field testing has also begun. Perry revealed that over the past few weeks, the company has deployed robots at customer sites to perform autonomous welding using full-body humanoids, and is using the actual operational data to further refine the training. PersonaAI plans to unveil its third-generation humanoid this fall.

Perry drew a clear line, stating that humanoids cannot replace all robots. While dedicated automation equipment may be more efficient for simple tasks, he believes humanoids have a significant advantage in work environments where conditions and tasks are constantly changing and where it is necessary to utilize the same spaces and tools previously used by humans.

“Humanoids aren’t superior simply because their human form is perfect for all robots,” he said. “It’s because they offer a solution well-suited to solving specific industrial problems.” He added, “Our vision is to build robots that fit into existing workflows, work alongside existing teams, and create value.”