CJ Logistics said it has put the dual-arm machines to work at an Olive Young fulfillment center in Yangji, Yongin, becoming the first company in South Korea's logistics industry to move humanoids from demonstration into a live operation.
The step follows a partnership CJ Logistics sealed last year with domestic robot maker Robotis to develop physical AI, the branch of artificial intelligence that lets machines perceive and act in the physical world rather than only in software.
Logistics has long been flagged as one of the earliest proving grounds for humanoids, because carrying and placing objects demands far less precision than assembly work on a factory line.
Unlike manufacturing, where standardized goods move through fixed steps, warehouses handle countless items of different shapes, sizes and materials, with conditions shifting by order.
"It is meaningful that humanoids have entered a stage where they play a role in actual logistics operations," said Kim Jung-hee, head of CJ Logistics' TES logistics technology research institute.
"We will advance them on the basis of the vast operational data accumulated on-site."
LG Group signed a humanoid agreement with Nvidia last month, while Hyundai Motor Group is preparing Boston Dynamics' Atlas robots for its U.S. plants, and the government plans to buy 1,080 domestically made humanoids by 2030.
CJ Logistics, which also takes part in the industry ministry's K-Humanoid Alliance, said it will widen the range of tasks the robots handle in phases.
AJP Takeaways
• CJ Logistics on Sept. 3 became the first South Korean logistics firm to deploy humanoid robots in a live operation, placing two dual-arm machines on a packaging line at an Olive Young center in Yongin.
• The robots load cushioning into boxes under a physical-AI partnership with Robotis, part of a phased plan to expand humanoid use across the company's distribution network.
• The move reflects logistics emerging as an early commercial frontier for humanoids, as South Korea races China's hardware lead and the U.S. edge in robotics AI ahead of a government plan to buy 1,080 domestic machines by 2030.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
