CJ Logistics Partners with Rainbow Robotics to Develop AI-Powered Humanoids for Warehouse Tasks

TL;DR: South Korea's CJ Logistics (logistics giant) and Rainbow Robotics (robotics firm) are partnering to build AI-powered humanoid robots. The goal is to automate complex warehouse tasks using robots that can make autonomous decisions, with testing planned to start later this year.

South Korean logistics giant CJ Logistics has announced a partnership with domestic robotics firm Rainbow Robotics to co-develop and potentially commercialize humanoid robots enhanced with artificial intelligence for use in logistics centers. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 16th in Seoul.

CJ Logistics partners with Rainbow Robotics — Image: CJ Logistics

Automating Complex Logistics

The collaboration aims to create robots capable of handling repetitive manual tasks currently performed by humans in complex warehouse environments. Logistics centers present significant automation challenges due to the sheer variety of item shapes, sizes, and weights that need to be handled quickly and accurately.

CJ Logistics believes humanoid robots, with their inherent mobility and flexibility, could be more effective than fixed automation systems, potentially integrating into existing facilities without requiring extensive physical restructuring. The goal is to develop robots that go beyond simple, pre-programmed actions.

Defining Roles: Hardware Meets AI

Under the agreement, Rainbow Robotics, known for its robotics platform expertise, will contribute hardware technologies, including collaborative arms, bimanual mobile robots, and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), tailoring them into platforms suitable for logistics.

CJ Logistics, through its TES Logistics Technology Research Institute, will focus on the software side. The company plans to identify specific manual processes within its facilities ripe for robotic intervention and will conduct tests to verify the technology's effectiveness. A key part of CJ Logistics' contribution is the development of its own 'Agentic AI' technology, designed to enable robots to make independent decisions and navigate logistics environments autonomously, mimicking human-like judgment.

Timeline and Ambition

Field testing of the jointly developed humanoid robots is slated to begin before the end of this year. Both companies frame the partnership as a significant step towards a new level of automation in logistics.

This is the first time in Korea a logistics depot is seeing machines beyond simple automation tasks, to humanoids making optimal decisions by themselves and taking action

"This is the first time in Korea a logistics depot is seeing machines beyond simple automation tasks, to humanoids making optimal decisions by themselves and taking action," stated Kim Jeong-hee, head of the TES Logistics Technology Research Institute at CJ Logistics. He described it as a "new paradigm" merging AI and robotics in the Korean logistics industry.

Heo Jung-woo, head of Rainbow Robotics' corporate research center, echoed this sentiment, calling the collaboration a "starting point for developing AI humanoid logistics robots that can function as primary operators, beyond just assisting workers." He also suggested the technology could eventually expand into manufacturing, healthcare, and other service sectors.

National Robotics Push

Reflecting a broader national interest in robotics, CJ Logistics also revealed it has joined the 'K-Humanoid Alliance'. This government-backed initiative, launched recently by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, brings together 15 private companies and experts aiming to establish South Korea as a global leader in the humanoid robotics field by 2030.

While the deployment of truly autonomous, general-purpose humanoids in complex, dynamic environments like warehouses remains a significant technical challenge industry-wide, this partnership signals serious intent from major players in South Korea to push the boundaries of logistics automation.

Sources:

Korea Times

Chosun Biz