The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's National Institute of Standards and Technology (Director Lee Sang-hoon) is establishing national standards (KS) for safety requirements for robots riding in elevators and indoor delivery robots to support robots riding in elevators.

On the 11th, the National Agency for Technology and Standards held the '2nd Robot Technology and Standards International Forum' at the Millennium Hilton Hotel, with the participation of domestic robot experts and three countries (online) with advanced robot technology, namely the United States, Germany, and Japan.

In order for robots to move around buildings, such as indoor driving and riding elevators, they must safely come into contact with people, so standards are needed for speed control, protective stopping in dangerous situations, overcoming height differences and gaps, and preventing falls and tipping.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy established the "Robot Industry Preemptive Regulatory Innovation Roadmap" in October 2020 and has been working with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (in charge of elevator safety standards) to establish national standards (KS) on robot safety requirements to allow robots to ride in elevators.

Also, at the '2nd International Forum on Robot Technology and Standards' held on this day, experts from the US, Germany, Japan, and Korea introduced examples of robot use and the relationship between robot-related regulations and standards in their countries.

Manager Ted Claiborne of the US and Dr. Theo Jacobs of Germany introduced the safety regulations and standards essential for robot introduction based on US federal regulations and European Union (EU) guidelines, respectively. Team leader Lee Ju-hong of Woowa Brothers, a domestic robot company, introduced the current status of pilot operations of serving robots and delivery robots and the indoor and outdoor use of robots. Explained the problems encountered while driving.

Based on the discussions held at this forum with the Korea Robot Industry Advancement Institute and others, the National Agency for Technology and Standards plans to develop standards focusing on areas with high industrial demand, such as wearable robots for muscle assistance, mobile collaborative robots (mobile manipulators), and robot-based services.

Lee Sang-hoon, head of the National Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, “By establishing national standards for robots riding in elevators, we have taken the first step toward robots being able to ride elevators.” He added, “We will actively develop standards for robot safety and evaluation methods to support the spread of robots in various fields, including industrial sites and daily life, as well as national defense, medicine, disaster relief, and culture and arts. Furthermore, we will actively pursue securing international standards for our robot technology.”