LG CNS supplies Android SDK for robots

By Lee Min-hyung

LG CNS has supplied a software development kit (SDK) for Pepper, a bipedal robot made by Softbank Robotics, facilitating Android software developers to build more robotics applications converged with the Internet of Things (IoT), the company said Thursday.

Under the partnership with Softbank Robotics, LG Group’s IT service affiliate offers its Pepper SDK to Android Studio. Both companies unveiled the SDK the first time at this year’s Google developer conference, Google I/O, in May in San Francisco.

LG CNS said the software tool is expected to open up various lucrative opportunities, as the intelligent robotics industry is gaining popularity as an emerging revenue source for software developers and global IT giants ― including Google.

“In particular, Android developers can build applications to control the movements of Pepper using the Animation Timeline program co-developed by LG CNS and Software Robotics,” an LG CNS spokeswoman said.

The Pepper SDK is available for Windows and Linux users at the moment, and would-be developers can access the software tool through Softbank Robotics’ website.

This is not the first time both firms have collaborated on robotics. Since July 2014, LG CNS has been the sole supplier for tablets grafted to the chest of the bipedal robot.

“LG CNS and Software Robotics have reached a consensus to create new business opportunities for those in the IT industry,” said the official. “Both companies will keep forging strategic alliances in the promising robotics industry.”

The growing popularity of Android is another reason why LG CNS remains optimistic for the project, according to the company. Google’s mobile operating system (OS) held more than an 84 percent share in the global mobile OS market in the January to March period this year, up 78.8 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher Gartner.

In recent years, LG CNS has pushed for aggressive investment in the robotics industry, identifying it as its next key growth area.

In 2015, the company gained attention from clients and developers after unveiling its IoT robot at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The IoT robot recognizes objects, determines their location and monitors surroundings without assistance, according to LG CNS.

The company attributed the latest achievement to its years-long research and development of both robotics hardware and software.

LG CNS’s robotics tablet handles direct communication with the robot’s users, as the hardware is designed to measure various controls ― including its management system, power consumption and interfaces, the company said.

Koo Seung-hoi, head of LG CNS’ overseas marketing division, said: “robotics tablets are similar to tablet PCs in functionality, but focused more on efficient management of robots.”

He said traditional manufacturing companies without software expertise cannot generate tangible results for the intelligent robotics industry.