Woowa Brothers, the brains behind the widely-used food delivery app Bamin, is set to unleash the efficiency of five six-wheeled robots onto the vibrant streets of Gangnam, the iconic southern Seoul district made famous by Psy’s 2012 global hit “Gangnam Style.”
This pioneering move follows the initial demonstration of Woowa Brothers’ delivery robots, including the service robot “Dilly,” which made its debut on a campus in eastern Seoul back in late 2019. Over time, the company advanced its robotic fleet, developing units capable of navigating elevators to transport drinks and snacks up and down floors. Dilly’s capabilities were further extended to delivering food within a Suwon City apartment complex.
In its latest endeavor, Woowa Brothers has upgraded its robotic fleet to include versions of Dilly tailored for transporting hot food and beverages from restaurant kitchens to customers’ tables. The robots, activated via digital kiosks, adeptly maneuver through restaurant spaces, detecting and avoiding obstacles in their path.
The innovative food delivery company has teamed up with Seoul City, Gangnam District, LX (a state-operated land information company), LG Electronics, and World Trade Center Seoul to establish a consortium for the robot demonstration project in Gangnam. In the initial phase, Dilly robots will transport food from eateries at the Starfield COEX Mall, an expansive underground shopping complex, to nearby buildings, with customers retrieving their orders from designated areas.
Woowa Brothers has been actively preparing for this groundbreaking demonstration, introducing delivery robots within the COEX mall in August 2022 and unveiling tower-shaped robots in October. The taller Dilly variant can efficiently utilize elevators, communicating seamlessly with building infrastructure.
The Dilly units destined for the streets of Gangnam boast a payload capacity of up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds) within a 25.6-liter container. To ensure customer convenience, the container is positioned at a height of 720 millimeters, minimizing strain during food retrieval.
Woowa Brothers’ Chief Technical Officer, Song Jae-ha, expressed optimism, stating, “We hope this demonstration becomes a window for the acceleration of the development of delivery robot technologies and expansion of the food delivery service market.”
This ambitious venture not only underscores Woowa Brothers’ commitment to technological innovation but also positions Gangnam as a testing ground for the future of robotic food delivery services.
