Naver to Export Robot Platform to Saudi Arabia
Naver’s outdoor autonomous driving robot “Nuri” undergoing test operation. Photo courtesy of Naver
Naver is pushing to export its robot systems to the Middle East, following Japan. The plan is to gain an early foothold in the Middle Eastern smart city market with indoor delivery robots, outdoor autonomous robots, and an integrated platform that links them together.
According to the information technology (IT) industry on the 4th, Naver will unveil and officially launch its outdoor autonomous delivery robot “NURI” at “Cityscape Global,” held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this November. Cityscape Global is the world’s largest real estate and urban development exhibition.
NURI is the first outdoor autonomous robot Naver has introduced. It was developed to perform delivery services on pedestrian roads, equipped with waterproof and dustproof design and features to cope with high-temperature environments. The name is a native Korean word meaning “the world,” and in Arabic it means “my light.” This indicates that it was targeted at overseas markets, including the Middle East, from the development stage.
Naver is currently test-operating NURI locally in Saudi Arabia. It is in discussions with the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMRAH) and others on introducing delivery services in large-scale new cities and townhouse complexes. Most of Saudi Arabia’s mega-scale residential complexes are built in townhouse form, creating strong demand for outdoor delivery within the complexes as well as inside buildings.
Accordingly, along with NURI, which handles outdoor delivery, Naver will also launch its next-generation indoor service robot “Rookie2” within the year. Rookie2 is an advanced model of the service robot “Rookie,” which has been operated at the company’s second headquarters “1784.” It is characterized by improved versatility so that it can be used in general office buildings as well. The company plans to link indoor delivery and outdoor delivery on a single platform to implement an integrated robot service connecting the inside and outside of buildings.
The industry sees a strong possibility that an official contract for the Saudi project will be signed along with the launch of NURI at this exhibition. “As we officially launch NURI and Rookie2 within the year, our goal is to finalize the Saudi business contract within the year as well,” a Naver official said. At last year’s Cityscape Global, Naver board chairman Lee Hae-jin personally attended and discussed cooperation plans with the Saudi government and local officials. Attention is also focused on whether he will attend this year’s event.
If the contract is finalized, Naver will become the first Korean company to export a robot platform to the Middle East, following Japan. This means the technology verified at 1784 will spread to Saudi Arabia’s new cities after its first overseas commercial deployment in Japan. Naver’s global robotics business will also enter a full-fledged growth phase.
