Korea Institute of Robotics & Technology Convergence
About
About Korea Institute of Robotics & Technology Convergence
KIRO operates from Pohang and carries out application-oriented robotics research with companies and public organisations. Its programmes connect robot engineering with field trials, technology transfer and industrial adoption; the institute also runs specialist testing and demonstration infrastructure.
Its work spans mobile, industrial, safety and marine robots. In shipbuilding, KIRO has worked with Samsung Heavy Industries on mobile and autonomous welding systems and is extending that cooperation toward shipyard work robots and industrial humanoids intended for on-site validation.
Team
- Kang Ki-Won - President - Leads KIRO’s applied robotics research, testing infrastructure and industry collaboration.
Timeline
Events
- 2026-10-14 - Partnership - KIRO and KIMCO sign MoU for advanced robot-materials research
KIMCO contributes elastomer and fine-chemical materials expertise, while KIRO contributes robot design, control and material-application technology. The cooperation includes shared research facilities and equipment, researcher exchanges, technical advice and research-information sharing.
Source - 2026-09-30 - Partnership - KIRO and Hanwha Ocean sign shipyard robotics research MoU
The agreement follows a July 31 KIRO visit to Hanwha Ocean’s facilities and connects research infrastructure with shipyard needs. Cooperation includes research-personnel exchange, shared facilities and equipment, policy advice and joint technical events. The parties plan to define detailed projects leading to technology development and field validation.
Source - 2026-09-16 - Partnership - Samsung Heavy Industries and KIRO sign shipyard robotics MoU
The agreement was signed at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje shipyard on September 16 and disclosed September 17. Work is directed at shipyard-specific robots and on-site validation; the announcement does not report a new commercial deployment. The parties have previously collaborated on mobile and autonomous welding robots.
Source - 2025-01-03 - Demonstration - Daedong Robotics demonstrates RT100 at its first-delivery ceremony
The demonstration covered person-following, predefined-route autonomous travel and manual tether operation. The autonomous mode moved harvested-fruit boxes between an orchard and warehouse. The platform incorporated technology jointly developed by KIRO and Daedong.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- Hanwha Ocean
Technology Partner - KIRO and Hanwha Ocean signed an MoU to develop and validate autonomous robots, industrial humanoids and AI systems for shipyards.
- Korea Institute of Materials Convergence (KIMCO)
Partner - KIRO and KIMCO signed a research MoU linking robot design and control with elastomer and fine-chemical materials.
Context
Comparable profiles
- Robocurve
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms · Model Validation For Robotics
- DeepAware AI
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- MorphoAI
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Saphira AI
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Topological
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Armnet
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Euclid Labs
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Pantograph
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- OpenMind
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Cogniteam
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Nori Robotics
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
- Orangewood Labs
stack adjacency - Robot Development Platforms
Context tags
- Robotics research and education - Customer Environment - https://www.kiro.re.kr/eng/abt/greet.asp — exact reviewed source supports this bounded company context.
- Robot development platforms - Stack Layer - https://www.kiro.re.kr/eng/abt/greet.asp — exact reviewed source supports this bounded company context.
- Model validation for robotics - Capability - https://www.kiro.re.kr/eng/abt/greet.asp — exact reviewed source supports this bounded company context.