LG continues to invest in robotics to expand its know-how in this sector, considered a key area for the company. Technological innovation and increasingly broad fields of application offer opportunities for growth in the industrial and commercial sectors. And also in the domestic channel.
Robots are a sure thing for the future, as LG CEO William Cho recently emphasized. For this reason, the company intends to implement expansion plans that not only include the focus on robots for hospitality and logistics. LG also aims to offer solutions for domestic applications. And to support growth projects with the appropriate skills, the company has invested in the world of start-ups.
Majority stake in Bear Robotics
LG acquired a majority stake in Bear Robotics. It is a Silicon Valley start-up specializing in autonomous service robots equipped with Artificial Intelligence. In particular, the acquisition follows a previous investment of 60 million dollars made in March 2024. The operation allowed LG to obtain a 21% stake and a call option agreement for up to an additional 30% stake.
With the latest round of investments, the Korean company now holds a 51% stake in Bear Robotics, effectively incorporating the start-up as a subsidiary. The management of Bear Robotics, including CEO John Ha, was kept in place. This ensures continuity and creates synergies with the commercial robot business of the LG CLOi line.
Founded in 2017, Bear Robotics is known for its robots, its expertise in the remote control and management of robot fleets and the AI platform they are equipped with. The company’s robots are used in the United States, South Korea and Japan.
LG intends to create an integrated software platform for commercial, industrial and home robots leveraging Bear Robotics’ technology. This platform aims to deliver a high-quality user experience across various applications. By applying it to the development of different types of robots, LG expects to shorten development cycles.
A robot for home
LG aims to expand its presence and develop its expertise also in the field of domestic robots. An example of this vision is the Self-Driving AI Home Hub (project name: Q9). It is an LG FURON-enabled smart home AI agent designed for independent navigation. This innovative product, powered by LG’s Affectionate Intelligence, received a Red Dot Design Award and won a recognition in the Innovative Design metacategory.
The robot can understand users and interact with them naturally, enhancing various aspects of the smart home experience to enrich everyday life. The awards jury praised its friendly, pet-like design and its ability to display different “emotions” using digitally animated eyes.
In fact the robot is able to move around the obstacles, while its emotion-reproducing display fosters interaction and engagement in conversations with users. Besides, it presents Microsoft’s voice recognition and synthesis technology, enabling natural conversations with people.
