Companion robots and indoor delivery robots are entering the public procurement market for the first time through multiple supplier contracts, and expansion of sales support for domestically produced robots is expected in the future.

The Public Procurement Service (Public Procurement Service, Commissioner Lim Ki-geun) announced on the 26th that it will strengthen the entry of 'K-robots' into public procurement in order to foster future cutting-edge industries and respond to changes in population and social structures.

To this end, the Public Procurement Service will pursue a new multiple supplier agreement (hereinafter referred to as 'MAS') for companion robots and indoor delivery robots in July.

Robots have been procured in the public market as lump-sum contracts or innovative products, but through this MAS announcement, companion robots and indoor delivery robots can now enter the public procurement market as MAS products.

With this new MAS contract, demand organizations will be able to conveniently purchase companion robots and indoor delivery robots from comprehensive shopping malls, so demand for robot products is expected to increase in the future.

The companion robot that is pursuing the MAS contract this year is a life support robot that mainly provides emotional support and information and acts as a talking companion.

As the demand for emotional care for the elderly increases due to the entry into a super-aged society, the demand for companion robots is increasing as a replacement for professional social welfare workers to support this.

It is expected that with this new MAS contract for companion robots, purchases will be made at welfare centers, senior centers, and welfare facilities.

In addition, indoor delivery robots are mobile assistant robots that transport objects to their destinations in indoor spaces, including serving robots (robots used to transport food to their destinations) and delivery robots (robots used to transport other than food). (including robots used for transporting objects to a destination).

It is expected that this new MAS contract for indoor delivery robots will improve the efficiency and productivity of logistics operations in libraries, medical institutions, post offices, etc.

In order to promote new MAS contracts for robot products, the Public Procurement Service has finalized the purchasing specifications that reflect various opinions from robot companies through meetings with the Korea Robot Industry Advancement Institute, the Korea Information and Communications Technology Association, etc., and has decided to promote the MAS announcement.

In the future, we plan to expand the MAS contract to include various new robots, such as guide robots, quarantine robots, and security and surveillance robots.

Jeon Tae-won, the director of the New Growth Procurement Planning Division, said, “With this MAS contract for companion robots and indoor delivery robots as an opportunity, we will expand the development of new products in promising future robot-related fields, and we will work to expand the procurement of new growth products by intensively discovering and managing cutting-edge and new growth promising products with high growth potential.”