A robot official pushes a button to get on an elevator at Seoul City Hall on Nov. 22, 2022. The city employed the robot official for the first time to deliver documents and guide visitors. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 25 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced a comprehensive plan to cultivate the robot industry, investing 202.9 billion won (US$157 million) to transform the city into a robot-friendly environment.
To achieve this, the city government aims to establish a 200 billion won special fund for robot companies by 2026. This fund will facilitate aggressive investments in research and development (R&D), commercialization, and market expansion, marking the first of its kind in the country.
Additionally, the city will allocate 10 billion won for R&D and will focus on nurturing 700 specialists through the Robot Academy, which opened last year.
It also plans to collaborate with robot companies and academic institutes to expand the integration of robots into public and private services and to develop new robot services.
Particularly addressing the growing burden on care service workers due to an aging population and an increase in single-person households, the city government will provide financial support for the entire care robot development cycle, from demonstration to distribution.
The city will launch a care robot demonstration service in public medical institutions, starting with the Seoul Medical Center and Seoul Child Hospital.
Furthermore, the city government will conduct a trial project in two districts starting next year, investing a total of 1 billion won to introduce service robots in crowded facilities, such as libraries and museums.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
