[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyung-il ] #CLOBOT Co., Ltd announced on the 4th that it has secured a 7.3 billion won government-funded project for artificial intelligence (AI) in humanoid and quadruped robots and has recruited a robot vision expert from Naver Labs to advance its Physical AI technology.

CLOBOT Co., Ltd has been selected as the lead research and development institution for the project titled “Development of a Spatial Intelligence Robot Foundation Model (RFM) Based on a Vision-Language Model (VLM) for Non-Standard Space Navigation of Humanoid and Quadruped Robots,” part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Robot Industry Technology Development Program. The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KEIT) is serving as the specialized agency for this project, which has a total R&D budget of approximately 7.3 billion won, of which government funding accounts for about 5.9 billion won. The research period runs from August 2026 to December 2029.

Seven organizations are participating in this research, including CLOBOT Co., Ltd, SamsungHeavyIndustries, Inha University, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DG-ITX), Kyungpook National University, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, and the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials. Through industry-academia-research collaboration, the project aims to develop spatial intelligence technology and verify its applicability in real-world industrial settings, such as shipyards and manufacturing facilities.

The core of the project is technology that enables robots to understand their surrounding space and independently determine movement paths and actions without relying on pre-built high-definition (HD) maps. To achieve this, the project will develop a spatial intelligence-based robot foundation model that utilizes a visual language model (VLM) to interpret spatial structures and the meanings of objects, and link this information to decisions regarding movement paths and actions.

Spatial intelligence is a technology that enables AI to perceive its surroundings, make context-appropriate decisions, and translate those decisions into actual robotic movements. It is particularly useful in environments where workpieces and equipment layouts change frequently, or where people and mobile robots move together. Specifically, the goal is to enable humanoid and quadruped robots to navigate autonomously while adapting to their surroundings, even in complex work environments such as stairs, ramps, and uneven terrain.

The participating organizations will combine their respective expertise in spatial perception, environmental prediction, meaning-based reasoning, action planning, and gait control integration. CLOBOT Co., Ltd will oversee the research and development, build the data and model infrastructure, and manage integration with robot execution and operation software. Through field demonstrations at industrial sites involving SamsungHeavyIndustries, the project plans to incorporate the requirements of actual shipyard work environments and verify the technology’s practical applicability.

Based on its existing general-purpose autonomous navigation solution, “CHAMELEON,” and its heterogeneous robot integrated control platform, “CROMS,” CLOBOT Co., Ltd has accumulated the capability to deploy and integrate robots from various manufacturers into industrial settings. Through this project, the company plans to expand its capabilities by adding AI that understands and infers spatial information to its existing autonomous navigation and integrated control technologies, enabling robots to make independent decisions and move even in changing environments.

Dr. Park Soon-yong, who has joined CLOBOT Co., Ltd as a director and head of the Advanced Autonomous Navigation Technology Team, will serve as the principal investigator. Dr. Park earned his Ph.D. in robotics from Yonsei University and subsequently conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the U.S. He later participated in the development of robot vision and autonomous navigation technologies at SamsungElectronics and Naver Labs, where he served as Tech Lead for robot vision.

Dr. Park led the entire process of this project, from planning to securing the contract, and will oversee future research, development, and validation. Through the recruitment of this key talent, CLOBOT Co., Ltd plans to strengthen its capabilities in cutting-edge technologies in the fields of autonomous robot navigation, robot vision, and spatial intelligence.

A CLOBOT Co., Ltd spokesperson stated, “With the award of this government-funded project and the recruitment of key technical talent, we plan to further strengthen our capabilities in cutting-edge technologies in the fields of autonomous driving, robot vision, and spatial intelligence.” The spokesperson added, “Based on this, we will advance our physical AI and spatial intelligence technologies and commercialize our R&D achievements as APIs, software solutions, and robot platforms to expand their application to various industrial settings, including shipbuilding, logistics, manufacturing, and plant operations.”