ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.—Following the introduction of its commercial robots in 2017, LG Electronics (LG) this week unveiled three new work robots at CES 2018 in Las Vegas. The new concepts—specifically developed for commercial use at hotels, airports, and supermarkets—are part of LG’s efforts to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) products.
Under LG’s new “CLOi” robot brand, the three new bots—the CLOi serving robot, CLOi porter robot, and CLOi shopping cart robot—follow in the footsteps of the CLOi airport guide robot and the CLOi airport cleaning robot. The airport robots are already deployed in a trial at South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, and they will take on the thousands of visitors that travel through Seoul on their way to Pyeongchang. Also part of the expanding CLOi family are the CLOi lawn mowing robot and the CLOi hub robot, which recently participated in a trial at one of Korea’s largest financial institutions by providing information and servicing customers at the bank’s branches.
The CLOi serving robot will deliver food and beverage to guests of hotels and visitors to airport lounges. LG says that the bot alternative to human delivery is quick and efficient. With a built-in sliding tray, the robot is designed for intuitive interaction with guests. When the delivery is confirmed, the serving robot will make it way back to the kitchen independently.
The CLOi porter robot promises to minimize inconvenience for travelers by reducing slow service and long wait times. This robot can facilitate express check-in and check-out service by handling payment and delivering luggage to a waiting vehicle in a fraction of the time, LG says.
The CLOi shopping cart robot includes a barcode reader that customers can use to scan items and view product prices as they’re placed within the robot’s bin. The robot’s “face” will also display all items on the shopping list and through a smartphone app will guide the consumer through the store via the most efficient route.
LG’s CLOi robots are being developed in parallel with LG ThinQ, the company’s AI brand for consumer electronics and home appliances. Both CLOi and ThinQ are designed to take advantage of LG’s DeepThinQ deep learning technology, aiming to deliver both emotional interaction and convenience.
“As an important part of our future growth engine, LG is committed to expanding its portfolio of robots that can deliver real convenience and innovation in our customers’ lives,” said Ryu Hye-jung, head of the smart solution business division for LG’s Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company. “We will continue to develop a wide range of products across commercial and home robots while seeking new opportunities to contribute to the advancement of the robotics industry.”
