Daedong Group and HL Group join forces to develop autonomous driving robots. The strategic technology partnership between Korea's top agricultural machinery company, Daedong, and HL Group, a leader in the automotive parts industry, has drawn attention in the industry.
According to the industry on the 2nd, Daedong Group's AI-based intelligent robot manufacturing corporation 'Daedong Robotics' and HL Group's construction affiliate 'HL D&I Halla' have decided to develop an 'autonomous driving robot for repairing golf course divots.' HL Group's automotive parts affiliate, HL Mando, is also participating in the development.
A divot is a small hole made in the grass by a golf club. The two groups plan to develop a robot that will find divots on the golf course and automatically fill them in.
This technological collaboration was established in January during the world's largest IT and consumer electronics show, CES 2025, held in Las Vegas, USA. Executives from Daedong and HL Group who attended CES met on-site and promised a technological partnership related to autonomous driving robots. The first project is the autonomous driving robot for repairing golf course divots.
The two groups are currently engaged in developing and commercializing autonomous driving robots in different fields. HL Group recently completed the development of an autonomous parking robot, 'Parky,' and is preparing for its commercialization. Based on autonomous driving technology, Parky goes under vehicles, lifts them slightly, and parks them in designated spots.
Daedong established Daedong Robotics last November and is developing agricultural and industrial robots as well as personal service robots for mobility and transportation. Recently, it launched an agricultural transport robot, 'RT100,' which automatically carries harvested fruits by workers in orchards.
Daedong and HL Group believe that this partnership will also reduce risks and expenses. It has a testbed nature. They are developing autonomous driving robots in the limited space of a golf course and plan to expand the application of the technology to a wider range of fields thereafter.
Lee Hang-gu, a researcher at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, said, 'The development and commercialization of autonomous driving technology are progressing more slowly than expected,' adding, 'Corporations are prioritizing the development of autonomous driving robots that operate in confined spaces such as parking lots, farms, and golf courses, and are adopting a scalability strategy to expand technology and services to broader areas.'
The researcher continued, 'In the process, corporations are partnering with leaders from other industries to reduce risks, and it is significant for the development of domestic autonomous driving technology to complement each other's lacking technologies and to foster cross-industry fusion.'