‘iCelbo,’ High on Wish List for Housewives, Brides

Yujin Robot CEO sees the Korean robot industry as a force behind Korea joining the ranks of advanced economies in a decade

The following are excerpts of an interview between NewsWorld and Shin Kyung-chul, president and CEO of Yujin Robot Co., Korea’s leading robot maker. Question: Will you introduce your company’s products?
Answer: One of the robot products familiar to the general public, produced by Yujin Robot Co., is “iClebo.” iClebo, meaning an intelligent cleaning robot, has built-in infrared sensors so that it can move without hitting the wall, furniture or other hindrances.
The robot has a highly efficient double system of having the main brush sweep the floor and the vacuum inhaler suck in the finest dust, with the side brush cleaning the dust at corners. It also has such functions as pre-programming cleaning time and automatic charging.
“iRobi Q,” which was put into full-fledged commercial service in the second half of 2007, has a network-based service model and a home automation service model catering to intelligent apartment units as well as three business models, including kid education service model and business guide model.
“Robhaz” is a robot capable of accomplishing such dangerous and difficult tasks as detecting mines and removing explosives. The robot was put into operation for six months in 2004 in the operation areas of the Zaytun, Korean troops dispatched to Iraq, to carry out such missions as the removal of explosives and conducting search and reconnaissance duties in dangerous areas. Yujin Robot’s service robot, “Cafero” appeared at the “Tomorrow City” pavilion during the recently held Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon, delivering beverages and food to customers at such establishments as cafes and family restaurants. Cafero is fitted with two arm articulations to do serving jobs freely, bringing low-cost, low-electricity effects.
Q: Will you enumerate your company’s efforts and strategies to meet cleaning robot consumers’ needs?
A: The demand for cleaning robots is apparently on the rise as working couples and the elderly population increase. People favoring the cleaning of homes tend to prefer cleaning robots fitted with antibacterial filters. Cleaning robots are the favorites of working couples who are pressed for time to clean their homes.
Robots that automatically clean homes and charge themselves on their own are increasingly recognized as necessities for the elderly who feel discomfort when moving. However, as time passes, customers’ expectations for products and demands are getting higher, and we’re striving to reflect them in the course of developing robot products. Yujin Robot’s in-house research institute does its utmost in its own research in order to improve quality and ensure customer satisfaction, while our executives and staff members are educated from outside institutes on the improvement of personality to provide customer-oriented services.
Q: Will you tell us about the status of the global robot market and your company’s future strategies?
A: Globally, 8.9 million personal robots were sold as of 2008. The personal robot market is forecast to post tremendous growth with a projection that the number of personal robots being sold on the global market would surpass the 25 million-unit mark. In keeping with the global trends of the optimistic personal robot market, Yujin Robot is devoting itself to developing more intelligent personal robots and exploring overseas markets. Yujin Robot is the first Korean robot maker to put network-based service robots and vacuum cleaner robots on the overseas markets.
Q: Will you touch on the status of the Korean personal robot industry and your company’s future strategies?
A: The domestic personal robot industry, in just a decade, has made strides in terms of quantity and quality. The number of employees working in the robot manufacturing lines and robot makers each has grown 10 times and five times, but sales have doubled. The industry is under development with the need for massive investments into technology development. The robot market still lacks the commercialization of intelligent humanoid robot technologies, but its future potential is bright with the development of intelligent and mobile robot-embedded products expected to be on the rise. The local robot technology industry is likely to shape up as a force that will catapult the nation to join the ranks of advanced countries within a decade.
Q: Will you elaborate on the status of your company’s R&D activities and future strategies?
A: We’re working on the development of additional technologies related to our commercialized products, including cleaning robots and assistant teacher robots at such institutes as nurseries. Yujin Robot is set to mass-produce “Cafero,” a service robot for such establishments as restaurants, which has been developed under a next-generation new technology development project financed by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Yujin Robot is also gearing up for the development of such target robots as military-use robots, foreign language education robots and software platforms, including contents, and ones connecting different protocols in the next five years. The R&D sector is essential for our business.
Q: Will you comment on your management credos?
A: The most important things on which our company gives priority are, first, to produce robots that bring the excitement and satisfaction to the customer, second, to contribute to the well-being of the nation and human beings through technology development and, finally, to bring enjoyment and satisfaction to our executives and staff members. My management key words can be summarized as “Challenging the endless commercialization of unrealized, futuristic technologies into ones available in the future.” We are exporting our products or collaborating in development with 14 countries. We’re striving to explore overseas markets with a focus on the quality and price competitiveness of robots, considered essential for the service robot market in the beginning stage. nw

Yujin Robot’s“iRobi Q”(left) & “iClebo”