SEOUL -- GAEMI, an autonomous delivery robot created by South Korea's robot developer Robotis, has been deployed at a general hospital run by Japan's major medical group Tokushukai. Depending on the result of the test run, the Japanese hospital will adopt the self-driving robot, which can travel between floors using an elevator. Gaemi means ant in Korean and the word is also used to describe a hard-working person.
Robotis said in a statement Shonan Kamakura General Hospital would demonstrate GAEMI by February 22. The medical facility is located in Kanagawa, a coastal prefecture with a population of some 9 million. The self-driving robot is currently delivering medical records between the third and 13th floors and providing products purchased at a convenience store on the first floor.
Robotis hopes the robot delivery service will be expanded to the entire Tokushukai group if the medical group confirms the adoption. "Just like in South Korea, the necessity of the service robot market is being emphasized in Japan amid the rising labor costs and the escalating difficulty in finding employees," said Robotis CEO Kim Byung-soo. The company has already supplied GAEMI to The Rise Osaka Kitashinchi, a hotel in Osaka, and Japan's leading travel agency HIS Group.
"We will promote GAEMI in all fields in Japan, such as hostels and hospitals, where service robots are required, and establish our position as a top player in Japan's service delivery robot market," Kim said. Robotis took part in Japan's largest hospitality exhibition "HCJ2024" to showcase its robot solutions.
Government data showed that the robot industry's sales volume in South Korea was valued at about 5.9 trillion won ($4.4 billion). Robots are currently utilized in many different sectors, including restaurant services, elderly care, and surveillance.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
