On September 3, 2024, Sang-ok Seok, CEO of NAVER LABS, took the stage at the ‘Tech & Future Insight Concert’, hosted by the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP). This event was attended by experts from industry, academia, and research in the ICT field. In his keynote address, titled ‘NAVER's Unique Software Approach for the Future of Robots and Humanity’, Seok emphasized the pivotal role software plays in NAVER's strategy, while also outlining a vision for democratizing robotics through SDx (Software Defined Everything).
On September 3, 2024, Sang-ok Seok, CEO of NAVER LABS, took the stage at the ‘Tech & Future Insight Concert’, hosted by the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP). This event was attended by experts from industry, academia, and research in the ICT field. In his keynote address, titled ‘NAVER's Unique Software Approach for the Future of Robots and Humanity’, Seok emphasized the pivotal role software plays in NAVER's strategy, while also outlining a vision for democratizing robotics through SDx (Software Defined Everything).
NAVER's Robotics Technology Defined and Expanded by Software
< NAVER's leading software-centric robotics advancements >
The first technology highlighted by Seok was NAVER’s 'Digital Twin', which acts as a virtual map to help robots navigate and understand their surroundings. Digital twin refers to the technology that replicates the physical world in the digital world. By integrating AI, robots can accurately determine their location and move autonomously, even indoors where GPS is unavailable. NAVER’s digital twin vision begins within buildings and extends to roads and entire cities, creating environments where both humans and robots can coexist harmoniously.
Another key innovation is NAVER's leadership in ‘Cloud Robotics’. By shifting the robots' processing power to the cloud, they can be managed more efficiently, reducing energy consumption and allowing for smaller, more agile designs. At CES 2019, NAVER introduced its groundbreaking ‘Brainless Robot’, the first cloud-based robotics system utilizing 5G technology. Based on this technology, NAVER developed the multi-robot intelligence system 'ARC (AI, Robot, and Cloud)' and successfully implemented it in NAVER's second headquarters, 1784, creating a robot-friendly building operation. ARC comprises two main components: ARC Brain, which oversees robot operations through cloud management, and ARC Eye, which guides robots by providing real-time location and navigation information.
The 1784 building also serves as a large-scale testbed for 'Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)'. With approximately 100 robots working alongside over 5,200 employees across 165,000 square meters of space, the building is constantly collecting data to shape future interactions between robots and people.
NAVER is also advancing its research on how robots can better perceive and respond to their environments through AI. In 2021, NAVER adopted a Foundation Model approach for its robotic AI projects that gave robots access to extensive data sets providing foundational knowledge, which has allowed them to quickly adapt to new surroundings and perform a variety of tasks.
Additionally, NAVER launched ARC Mind, the world’s first web-based platform operating system designed specifically for robots. Developed through a collaboration between NAVER’s Whale OS team and NAVER LABS’ robotics engineers, ARC Mind is designed to give developers worldwide an accessible platform for creating robotic applications, ultimately driving innovation and expanding the range of robotic services available.
Paving the Way for the Era of Robotics Popularization Through SDx
NAVER is positioning itself as a pioneer in the SDx space, aiming to drive the future of the robotics industry. Its ability to develop robotics software that spans both cloud and edge (OS) computing environments is built on the extensive software expertise NAVER has cultivated since its early days. In closing his keynote speech, CEO Sang-ok Seok expressed his strong confidence in NAVER's competitive edge, stating, "NAVER will lead the future and popularization of robotics through our innovative software and AI-based technologies."