The endpoint of robotics technology is not the humanoid. That is the assessment of Baek Jong-yoon, head leader of robotics at Naver Labs, the research and development (R&D) subsidiary launched by Naver in 2017. The key, he says, lies not in the form of the robot but in the system that controls and operates multiple robots.
In an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily on the 4th at Naver's headquarters "1784" in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Baek said, "People often say the humanoid is the evolved version of wheeled robots and the endpoint of robotics technology, but the two robots are separate technologies with different uses." He added, "In the end, humanoids also need orchestration to give them instructions." This distances him from the view that measures technological maturity by the form of a robot or the flashiness of its movements.
Where he places weight is the backend that manages robots. "Making capable and smart robots is one thing, and using robots well in the actual field is another," Baek explained. "Naver is focused on building 'ARC,' a backend system and platform that oversees robots." ARC consists of the multi-robot control system "ARC Brain," the vision-based positioning technology "ARC Eye," and the robot-dedicated operating system (OS) "ARC Mind."
A case where this management technology led to an actual order is the "Tokyo Midtown Yaesu" project in Japan. It is the first commercialization case of the ARC system. Baek said, "Robots that recognize their location using lidar have limitations operating in buildings where all floors are designed similarly." He added, "Naver's robots use visual information rather than lidar, and because ARC Brain, a kind of 'foreman,' assigns roles, they can fully carry out complex routes such as moving between floors by taking elevators."
The picture Naver Labs is drawing does not stop at its own robots. "We are envisioning a future where various robots and robot applications use Naver's platform," Baek said. "ARC Mind, created in collaboration with the Whale development team, is also continuing to advance its technology." Having stepped into the physical world even before the term physical artificial intelligence (AI) emerged, the position Naver is aiming for is that of a "conductor" that operates all robots.
