Woowa Brothers unveils smarter, faster delivery robot

Woowa Brothers' new Dilly model for Baemin B Mart grocery delivery service, Monday / Courtesy of Woowa Brothers

Woowa Brothers, operator of major food delivery platform Baemin, launched an upgraded delivery robot Monday with improved intelligence and speed.

The company said the upgraded robot, Dilly X3-R 1.4, weighs 8 percent less than its predecessor, bringing its weight below 100 kilograms. The slimmer robot can also travel at a top speed of 15 kilometers per hour.

Under operational safety certification standards for outdoor mobile robots set by the country’s Intelligent Robots Act, robots weighing more than 100 kilograms are limited to a maximum speed of 10 kilometers per hour. Dilly’s previous model exceeded the 100-kilogram threshold.

Another improvement is the material used. The robot is made with expanded polypropylene (EPP). According to the company, EPP, compared to the plastic used for the older model, can be recycled better, is lighter and more durable, and has strong resistance to heat. EPP’s high insulation capacity makes it ideal for keeping food products cold or hot.

Dilly’s new eyes are also now more in number, equipping the vehicle with better visuals for autonomous driving. A rear-view camera and upgraded central processing unit and sensors now help the robot recognize ambient environment more precisely, preventing accidents.

Dilly’s previous model first hit the road in February 2025, delivering groceries to customers within a 2-kilometer radius of the company’s Baemin B Mart Gangnam Nonhyeon branch in Seoul’s southern Gangnam District. Baemin B Mart is Woowa Brothers’ network of proprietary micro-fulfillment centers, with 70 locations nationwide.

With the upgraded robot, Woowa Brothers said it plans to expand Dilly’s delivery range to provide broader service coverage and deploy the robot at another Baemin B Mart center later this year. The company obtained a license for the new Dilly model last month from the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement.

The company said 99 percent of Dilly’s services have so far been executed without any human interception. Their average run time per delivery is 25 minutes. Baemin B Mart in June saw inbound delivery calls increase 40 percent from previous month and 240 percent from previous year.

"Replacing the exterior material was a key, allowing us to consider the environment while improving Dilly’s overall performance," said Kim Byoung-oh, head of the company’s robotics lab.

"We will advance our autonomous driving technology and control systems so that consumers can meet Dilly in a wider variety of places.”