Samsung Electronics' Samsung Bot Handy is introduced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are hiring more workers and expanding investments to foster robots as one of their new growth engines as automated devices are being used increasingly in everyday life, according to company officials Tuesday.

Data shows the robot business is expected to grow rapidly in the future.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) predicts the robot market to grow 32 percent annually to about 211 trillion won ($173 billion) in 2025.

Samsung Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee announced earlier this month that robots will become the company's new area of business.

"We have accumulated technology in various robot areas and reviewed commercialization so that future generations can experience 'life companion' robots," Han told investors during the company's shareholders' meeting.

Samsung has been unveiling different types of service robots every year. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2019, Samsung launched the Samsung Bot robotics platform and unveiled a fleet of robots including Samsung Bot Care, Air and Retail and an exoskeleton-assisted wearable robot called GEMS.

At the 2020 event, the company came up with Ballie, a small ball-shaped companion robot designed to help consumers around the house. The company also introduced Samsung Bot Handy, a robot that can help out with various household chores.

Samsung has yet to release any robots for sale, but the company is widely expected to commercialize its GEMS exoskeleton robot within this year. GEMS is a wearable robot that can fit to the hips, knees and ankles and serve as a walking aid.

LG Electronics' CLOi ServeBot robot delivers wine bottles to a staff member at a hotel in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, March 22. Courtesy of LG Electronics

LG is also promoting robots as one of its future business items. By applying its robotics technology to various scenarios, the company is developing service robots that can enhance convenience in daily life.

To improve its R&D efficiency, the company recently recruited renowned robot scientist Dennis Hong as an advisor to its robot business. LG said Hong will play an integral part in the company's long-term plan to develop integrated robot logistics solutions encompassing storage and home delivery for retail consumers.

An expert in robotics engineering said service robots are expected to create more business opportunities not only because technology for making robots has advanced, but also other supporting technologies ― such as artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors ― have developed to the point that more robots can be used in various ways in everyday life.

"With the development of AI technology these days, robots can perform a variety of complex actions. In addition, the combination of sensor technology and AI technology has made robots capable of complex operations as well," Kong Jae-sung, a robot engineering professor at Korea Polytechnics, said.

"Robots have come to be used in our daily space for more diverse applications," he added. "From this point of view, the service robot business will inevitably become popularized."