LG's CLOis will deliver up to 32 cups of coffee to your desk

LG Electronics' CLOi robot is being loaded with take-out coffees and meals as it formed partnership with Kakao Mobility's delivery service Bring. [LG ELECTRONICS]

LG Electronics' delivery robot CLOi will deliver coffees and meals in buildings as it has joined forces with Kakao Mobility's newly launched delivery service Bring.

CLOi robots will be distributed at office buildings, hotels, apartments and hospitals to make various kinds of deliveries, such as coffee and meals as well as mail and parcels. Once users input orders on the Bring app, store staff will place ordered items on the robot's shelves, which have locking devices. CLOis will then start the delivery, navigating the building. They are able to get on elevators unassisted and make up to four stops at once.

By numbers, CLOi is able to deliver up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of items in its four compartments, which translates to approximately 32 cups coffee. The six-wheeled, double-door autonomous robots have their own suspension to minimize exterior shocks.

The delivery robots will first debut at Noudit's Seongsu-dong branch, a cultural complex that comprises offices and shops in western Seoul.

LG has prioritized its robotics business as one of the main pillars of its 2030 vision. After accumulating know-how by operating its robots in airports, hotels and logistics centers, it recently invested $60 million in Silicon Valley-based service robot startup Bear Robotics.

"Service robots require a number of advanced platform technologies such as AI, communication and control," said Noh Kyu-chan, in charge of LG Electronics' robotics business.

"We will continue to offer new experiences to the customers based on the capacity of robot solutions and know-how we have been fostering for quite some time."

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]