LG Innotek partners with Boston Dynamics to develop robot components

LG Innotek CEO Moon Hyuk-soo speaks during the company shareholders' meeting at its headquarters in Seoul, March 24. Courtesy of LG Innotek

LG Innotek is joining hands with global robotics leader Boston Dynamics to develop components for robots.

The electronics component affiliate of LG Group announced Monday that the two firms have signed an agreement to jointly develop an automated vision-sensing system that acts as the eyes of robots.

“By collaborating with Boston Dynamics, a world leader in robotics, LG Innotek will gain an advantage in the robotics components market," LG Innotek CEO Moon Hyuk-soo said.

“We will continue to introduce core components for robots that lead the robotics era and create differentiated customer value.”

LG Innotek will develop a vision-sensing module and install it in Boston Dynamics’ next-generation version of a humanoid robot, Atlas. Boston Dynamics will develop software that effectively processes visual data collected from the vision-sensing module.

A vision sensing system integrates various sensing components, such as red, green and blue cameras and three-dimension sensing modules, into a single module. The components interact and synthesize information to allow robots to accurately recognize their surroundings even under challenging circumstances, such as in the dark or in bad weather.

LG Innotek possesses world-class optical technology, with its sensing components, including camera modules, widely used not only in smartphones but also in the autonomous vehicle field.

During last year’s CES, the company showcased Sensor Pod, a self-driving system that includes various sensing components.

In the future, LG Innotek plans to expand the scope of its collaboration with Boston Dynamics, exploring ways to apply its various original technologies to robots, in addition to optical technology.

“We are excited to partner with LG Innotek to drive innovation and redefine the development of robot eyes,” Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter said.

“Robots should be able to see, process and perceive the world as well as humans. It is my hope that by working together, we will develop groundbreaking vision systems that are as advanced as the cameras in your mobile phones.”