The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that it signed an MOU with Seoul National University on Oct. 30 to foster the physical AI industry. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that it signed an MOU with Seoul National University on Oct. 30 to foster the physical AI industry. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is partnering with Seoul National University to create a hub for testing and commercializing physical AI technology.

The city announced Sunday that it signed an MOU with Seoul National University on Oct. 30 to foster the physical AI industry. The two institutions will establish a "Physical AX Center" at Seoul AI Hub to support the demonstration of lifestyle robot technologies and help AI startups bring their products to market.

Seoul AI Hub is a specialized AI support organization that draws on the technological resources and research capabilities of Seoul National University and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). It trains AI professionals, identifies and nurtures AI-focused companies, and promotes an open research culture.

The city will combine Seoul National University's physical AI research capabilities with Seoul AI Hub's startup support infrastructure, while the university will take charge of demonstrating lifestyle robots using core technologies and fostering related startups.

Seoul National University's Human-centered Physical AI Robotics (H-PAIR) National Research Laboratory — selected for a national research laboratory program worth up to 100 billion won ($74.9 million) in government funding — will also participate in the collaboration. The first joint initiative will be the establishment of a "Physical AI Daily Support Living Lab" at Seoul AI Hub.

The city will also operate a "Physical AX Consortium" bringing together welfare centers, senior residential facilities and other institutions with real-world technology needs, along with physical AI companies and the university's national research laboratory. The consortium will identify technologies needed in care settings and build a cooperative framework to develop, verify and deploy them in the field.

Kim Hyun-woo, the city's director of economic affairs, said the city would "support technology demonstration and commercialization so that Seoul National University's outstanding research achievements can develop into innovative startup technologies and be used in citizens' daily lives."

Kim Young-oh, dean of Seoul National University's College of Engineering, said the university would "pursue field verification and advancement of core technologies based on H-PAIR's interdisciplinary research capabilities, and fulfill the university's role in realizing the social value of research outcomes by linking talent development with technology entrepreneurship."


park.jiyeong@heraldcorp.com