[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] Will there come a time when we can select and apply artificial intelligence (AI) models tailored to specific purposes for humanoid robots, just as we choose and install applications (apps) on our smartphones?

Kim Byung-soo, CEO of ROBOTIS(108490), delivered a presentation titled “Open Humanoid Platform” at the “Humanoid Summit Seoul 2026” held at COEX in Seoul on the 22nd, where he unveiled his vision to transform humanoids into a universal platform capable of adding various functions, much like a smartphone.

CEO Kim stated, “In the past, if 100 different tasks were needed, there were 100 different types of robots,” adding, “With the advancement of AI, a single robot can now perform more than 100 tasks, and this will lead to the humanoid—the universal platform we envision.”

The key is not to tie a specific AI to a single robot hardware unit. ROBOTIS is creating a development environment through its proprietary software platform, “CYCLO,” that allows users to load various Robotics Foundation Models (RFMs), apply them to robots, and compare their performance.

CEO Kim explained, “We have currently tested about 20 different robot foundation models,” adding, “Our software provides an environment where developers can easily identify the characteristics of each model and implement them.”

The platform aims to alleviate the difficulty developers face in directly implementing these models, as their structures and usage methods vary from model to model. It also provides benchmarking tools that allow for performance comparisons between models under the same conditions.

“Humanoids, Just Like Smartphones”

CEO Kim likened this structure to the smartphone ecosystem. Early smartphones performed worse than digital cameras for photography and worse than dedicated music players for music playback. However, as they incorporated multiple functions into a single device and developers continued to add new apps, they established themselves as a universal platform.

CEO Kim predicts that humanoids can follow a similar path. While dedicated robots may outperform humanoids in specific tasks, he argues that the range of applications can expand significantly if new AI capabilities and features can be continuously added to a single hardware platform.

He also emphasized the need for an ecosystem where features created by developers translate into revenue. CEO Kim stated that the industry can only grow if developers are rewarded for creating new features, citing the smartphone app and YouTube content ecosystems as examples.

To this end, ROBOTIS is opening up not only its hardware but also the software necessary for humanoid development. “Cyclo” includes cloud-based learning, simulation, and data generation capabilities, as well as software for controlling and supervising trained robots and on-board software that runs inside the robots.

ROBOTIS is lowering the barrier to entry by releasing key Cyclo development software and humanoid-related source code as open source.

College Students Implemented Dancing and Handstands in Just One Month

The company also presented an experiment demonstrating the potential of the open platform. ROBOTIS provided university robotics clubs with humanoid hardware and open-source reference materials, allowing them to freely develop functions for one month. The students implemented a range of movements, from K-pop choreography to handstands, side flips, push-ups, and crawling.

CEO Kim emphasized that simply making the hardware and development environment publicly available—without requiring specialized training—enabled a wide range of results to emerge quickly. He explained that through an open platform, the achievements of various universities, researchers, and developers can be accumulated into a single humanoid ecosystem.

The “AI Sapiens” humanoid developed by ROBOTIS is also a reference platform that demonstrates this strategy. CEO Kim explained that AI Sapiens is an example showing how a humanoid can be constructed using its own actuators. The related development source code will also be made public.

ROBOTIS plans to shorten development time by combining NVIDIA’s AI and robotics tools with its own software stack.

CEO Kim stated, “We can now build a humanoid that used to take several years to develop in just a few weeks—or even within a week,” adding, “We are expanding our business scope from a traditional actuator manufacturer to a humanoid solutions provider.”