Seoul: South Korean robotics startup Neubility plans to expand overseas with its delivery, patrol and logistics robot services, its chief executive said. "We recently submitted a written quotation to robot distributors in Japan," Lee Sang-min, founder and chief executive officer of Neubility, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "Once we receive confirmation later this month, we plan to launch our logistics robot services in Japan next year," he added, noting Japan's rising labor costs and demand for automation as opportunities for growth.
According to Yonhap News Agency, founded in 2017, Neubility has raised 53 billion won ($37 million) from investors, including Samsung Venture Investment Corp., IMM Investment Corp., and KB Investment. The company operates its autonomous Neubie delivery and Neubie Patrol robots, and is developing a larger, heavy-duty logistics robot for commercial use at logistics centers. Over the past eight years, Neubility has provided food delivery and patrol robot services in about 50 locations across South Korea. Its food delivery services are particularly prominent in Songdo, Incheon, and some districts in Seoul.
Neubility has also ventured into overseas markets, offering food delivery robot services at the Oxagon base camp in Saudi Arabia since November 2023. The startup plans to expand operations to a university in Riyadh and launch a pilot project at York University in Canada. A pilot delivery service is under way in Tokyo, and patrol robots were previously operated in Miami, United States. To support its international expansion, Neubility is collaborating with bipedal and quadrupedal robot developers, having signed a memorandum of understanding with Lion Robotics and a Chinese manufacturer.
Lee emphasized the company's focus on mass-produced, bestselling models rather than high-end products. Neubility aims to upgrade its Neubie platform for customized services at reasonable prices. The company's robots utilize Neubility Sense software and Nvidia Corp.'s edge computing platform for visual data processing and navigation. Neubility's vision-based approach offers a competitive advantage in the market, as it relies on camera-based intelligence instead of costly sensors.
Neubility was showcased at Computex 2024 in Taiwan, highlighting its technical and commercial achievements. The company is also developing a semi-humanoid robot expected to debut in four to five years, and participates in the K-Humanoid Alliance, a project to build a fully domestic humanoid robot by 2030. Neubility anticipates doubling its revenue from an estimated 5 billion won this year to 10 billion won next year, despite forecasting losses for the next five years. Lee likened the company's long-term strategy to Tesla's path to profitability through mass production. Neubility plans to apply for a business evaluation with the Korea Exchange next year, aiming for an initial public offering in 2027.