The government recently unveiled its strategy for nurturing humanoid robots, increasing interest in batteries for robots. Many believe that the nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery, which the domestic battery industry has focused on, is more suitable than the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, in which China currently holds an advantage, raising attention on whether the battery market will improve.
A humanoid robot is a robot with a shape similar to that of a human, which must be supported by battery technology. For it to perform various actions such as running, grasping objects, sitting, and climbing stairs, a constant power supply is essential.
Many industry insiders noted, "Unlike electric vehicles, humanoid robots have limited space to accommodate batteries," adding that "the higher energy density of the NCM battery is more suitable for robots compared to LFP." While LFP is relatively cheaper, it has low energy density, whereas NCM batteries have the opposite characteristics.
On April 19, the 'Tiangong Ultra' robot, which participated in the world's first half marathon with 21 humanoid robots in Beijing, China, crossed the finish line in about 2 hours and 40 minutes after replacing its battery three times. The robot was 180 cm tall and weighed 55 kg.
The battery industry considers the development of high-performance batteries specifically for robots to be essential. Currently, the batteries installed in humanoid robots can operate for 1 to 2 hours. Assuming humanoid robots replace human workers, the batteries would need to be replaced more than four times during an 8-hour workday.
The three major domestic battery companies, LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On, have begun collaborating with robotics companies. In February, Samsung SDI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Motor to co-develop high-performance batteries specifically for robots. Subsequently, Samsung SDI unveiled next-generation batteries installed in Hyundai's service robots, 'DAL-e' and 'MobED.'
LG Energy Solution is supplying cylindrical batteries for Bear Robotics' service and industrial robots. Bear Robotics is a U.S. commercial autonomous robot corporation that secured management control after LG Electronics acquired a 21% equity stake in March of last year and an additional 30% equity stake in January of this year.
An industry insider noted, "Humanoid robots require instantaneous high power for tasks like running or lifting heavy objects. It is expected that advanced NCM batteries will be used instead of LFP, providing opportunities for Korean battery companies."