Major Items in Intelligent Robot Act Amendment, Allowing Sidewalk Passage for Autonomous Mobile Robots
Nubility, "Efforts to Protect Domestic Market and Promote Industry Must Proceed in Parallel"

Discussions were held on institutional challenges that must be addressed for autonomous mobile robots to become activated and the direction forward.

National Assembly Member Yang Geum-hee held a "Policy Briefing Session for Autonomous Mobile Robot Industry Development" at the National Assembly Members' Hall on the 14th and created a forum where diverse opinions could be exchanged on the subject of "Major Amendment Contents of the Intelligent Robot Act" which she co-sponsored in August.

The autonomous mobile robot market is projected to show an average annual growth rate of 34.3% through 2030, and there are predictions from global research organizations that autonomous delivery robots will account for 20% of all deliveries.

Despite rapid growth and bright prospects, Korea currently faces difficulties in comfortably utilizing autonomous mobile robots.

Robots are classified as "vehicles" under the Road Traffic Act, and sidewalk passage is prohibited, making amendments to related laws urgent for the realization of complete services.

Even with proof-of-concept exemptions, operations are only possible within limited areas and regulations such as requiring on-site personnel to accompany robots have slowed the growth of the autonomous mobile robot industry, and there are limitations in accumulating data as demonstrations cannot be conducted in various locations.

In response, the need to clearly define robots that become eligible targets for sidewalk passage permission has been raised, and the major item of the Intelligent Robot Act amendment is to define intelligent robots capable of autonomous operation for delivery purposes and other functions as "outdoor mobile robots."

Sang-min Lee, CEO of Nubility, conveyed that this amendment to the Intelligent Robot Act will be recorded as the beginning of autonomous mobile robots transitioning from service in limited spaces to full-scale commercialization within the framework of laws and regulations.

Because of this, he argued that this amendment should serve as a benchmark for promoting and protecting the domestic robot industry.

He stated, "We must also consider the situation where overseas companies with over 8 years of technological gap are entering the domestic market and competing with Korean companies," and emphasized, "Starting with the amendment to the Intelligent Robot Act, not only rapid regulatory innovation but also efforts to protect the domestic market and promote industry must proceed in parallel."

The CEO then conveyed that the individual certification method by operating environment currently being discussed imposes a significant burden on mid-sized and small enterprises.

If certification must be obtained for each operating environment, it could become a high barrier to entry for startups and researchers seeking to advance technology development and service, and would negatively impact ecosystem development.

Ko Tae-bong, Head of the Research Division at Hi Investment & Securities, who served as a presenter, discussed "the present and future of the autonomous vehicle industry."

Ko stated that the completion of "unmanned operation" requires all elemental technologies to reach a certain level, but the most difficult technology to implement in autonomous vehicles and robots is AI.

Autonomous driving technology and data including AI obtained from the automotive industry are significant assets that can be applied to robots.

Ko noted that in 2021 Tesla was collecting data from 50 countries outside the United States, and emphasized once again that legislative amendments are urgent so that Korean companies do not fall further behind.

In the subsequent discussion, Ko also expressed that while a cautious approach to legislative amendments is necessary, he appealed for understanding that every day matters for companies.

After the discussion concluded, Member Yang Geum-hee stated, "I am grateful to the panelists and presenters who provided many opinions," and added, "I will work to ensure it can be deliberated as quickly as possible, and regarding insurance handling related to autonomous mobile robots, I believe it will be difficult at the private sector level, so I will discuss it further with the Robot Promotion Association."