Industrial Automation with AI-Powered Robots
Advancements in Robotics
As robotics has advanced, industry has steadily adopted more robots to automate away many kinds of grunt work. More than 540,000 new industrial robots were installed worldwide in 2023, taking the number of total industrial robots active to above 4 million, per IFR.
Challenges in Industrial Robotics
Industrial robots typically excel at repetitive tasks, but they find it challenging to perform precise tasks, handle delicate materials, and adjust to changing conditions — a robot in a restaurant’s kitchen would get in the way more than be helpful, for example. That is why many industrial processes are still manual.
Introducing RLWRLD
South Korean startup RLWRLD aims to solve this problem with a foundational AI model that it has built specifically for robotics by combining large language models with traditional robotics software. The company says this model will enable robots to make quick and agile movements and perform some amount of "logical reasoning" as well.
Founding and Funding
The startup is now coming out of stealth with 21 billion KRW (about $14.8 million) in seed funding. The round was led by venture capital firm Hashed, and Mirae Asset Venture Investment and Global Brain also invested. Notably, RLWRLD has attracted a long list of big strategic investors — Ana Group, PKSHA, Mitsui Chemical, Shimadzu and KDDI from Japan; LG Electronics and SK Telecom from Korea; and Amber Manufacturing from India.
Use Cases and Future Plans
RLWRLD said the seed funding will be used to fund proof-of-concept projects with its strategic investors; secure computing infrastructure like GPUs, purchase robots, and devices to collect extensive data; and hire top research talent. The startup will also use the new money to develop advanced hand movements involving five-fingers — a capability that’s not yet been demonstrated by its competitors like Tesla, Figure AI and 1X, Ryu said.
Founding Story
RLWRLD is Ryu’s third startup. His second startup, Olaworks, was acquired by Intel in 2012, and eventually became Intel’s Korea R&D center within its computer vision division. And in 2015, he founded a startup accelerator, Future Play, that focuses on deep tech companies.
Conclusion
RLWRLD is a South Korean startup that aims to revolutionize industrial automation with its AI-powered robots. With its strategic investors and seed funding, the company is set to make significant progress in the field of robotics and automation.
FAQs
Q: What is RLWRLD’s AI model?
A: RLWRLD’s AI model combines large language models with traditional robotics software to enable robots to make quick and agile movements and perform some amount of "logical reasoning" as well.
Q: What are RLWRLD’s strategic investors?
A: RLWRLD’s strategic investors include Ana Group, PKSHA, Mitsui Chemical, Shimadzu and KDDI from Japan; LG Electronics and SK Telecom from Korea; and Amber Manufacturing from India.
Q: What is RLWRLD’s long-term goal?
A: RLWRLD’s long-term goal is to cater to factories, logistics centers, and retail stores, and even robots that can be used in domestic environments to help with household chores.
Q: How many employees does RLWRLD have?
A: RLWRLD has 13 employees.
