Chinese robot corporations are accelerating their push into the Korean market. After dominating the domestic market with cleaning robots and restaurant serving robots, Chinese corporations are now rolling out wearable robots that assist human physical abilities and even Humanoid Robot models, throwing down the gauntlet one after another. Analysts say Chinese corporations that have successfully commercialized innovative robots based on massive domestic data have selected the tech-savvy and exacting Korean market as the optimal test bed and launched a full-fledged offensive.
◇ "become Iron Man when you wear it," from exoskeletons to Humanoids in the 30 million won range
According to the industry on the 19th, Chinese robot startup Hypershell has joined hands with domestic service robot corporation VD Robotics to target the Korean market. Hypershell drew attention as a corporation that won an innovation award after unveiling an AI-based outdoor exoskeleton robot at CES, the world's largest IT show, last year. When you wear the 1.8-kilogram exoskeleton robot, it amplifies leg strength, and among visitors it was called the "Iron Man robot."
In just a year and a half since mass production began, word of mouth spread and hundreds of units were purchased directly by Korean consumers, signaling strong popularity. After confirming demand in the Korean market, Hypershell will hold an official launch event on the 24th and begin full-scale sales. For preorders that began on the 5th, 206 people had signed up as of the 13th.
This product is worn on the waist and legs, with nine robot joints adding power in sync with human movement. Fourteen sensors on the device collect real-time motion data, and an AI motion engine and algorithm analyze it to assist up to 1 horsepower for as far as 25 kilometers depending on the user's movement. Hypershell said, "The main target customers are those who enjoy hiking and outdoor activities, and we received a lot of funding not only in China but also in the United States, Europe, Japan and Korea, where hiking is popular."
Unitree, China's largest Humanoid Robot corporation, is also penetrating deep into domestic distribution networks. E-MART opened a permanent "robot store" at its Yeongdeungpo branch Electro Mart on the 30th of last month and began selling Unitree's Humanoid Robot along with various AI companion robots. In collaboration with domestic distributor ROAS, it built a B2C (business-to-consumer transaction) channel where consumers can experience and buy robots at the mart as if choosing home appliances.
The store features Unitree's mass-produced Humanoid Robot G1 and the quadruped robot Go2. Standing 127 centimeters tall and weighing 35 kilograms, the G1 walks and sits like a person and uses a 360-degree LiDAR sensor to perceive its surroundings. The price is 31 million won for the G1 and 3.99 million won for the quadruped robot. Right after the store opened, one Go2 led to an actual sale.
An E-MART official said, "Robots are expanding beyond industrial equipment into the realm of home appliances that consumers choose to fit their lifestyles," adding, "Starting with the introduction of the Unitree Humanoid Robot, which has drawn attention on international stages such as CES, we plan to take the lead in the B2C robot market."
◇ "first year of commercialization" in China last year… targeting exacting Korean consumers
Backed by massive domestic market data and full support from the Chinese government, Chinese robot corporations that have built up their technological capabilities are speeding up overseas expansion. Marking last year as a turning point, China's robot industry moved beyond the prototype stage into mass production, ushering in the "first year of commercialization." Chinese robot corporations lowered manufacturing costs and secured mass production capability through domestic parts supply chains. In fact, Unitree's Humanoid shipments exceeded 5,500 units last year.
Analysts also say the Korean market is viewed as a kind of test bed by Chinese robot corporations, prompting successive entries. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), as of 2024, Korea's robot density was 1,220 units per 10,000 manufacturing workers, the highest in the world. That is more than seven times the global average of 162. With relatively high exposure to robots, a trend has taken hold in which domestic consumers, moving beyond the notion that "Chinese-made means cheap and shoddy," give high marks to technological prowess.
Chinese corporations already account for more than 70% of domestic serving robots and about 47% of the robot vacuum market. A Chinese robot industry official said, "Chinese robot vacuums priced near 2 million won have taken the top share in the Korean market, and Korean consumers tend to open their wallets after carefully considering software performance, sensor technology, after-sales service (AS) and delivery rather than price," adding, "Accordingly, many Chinese robot corporations view the Korean market as a bridgehead into the Asian market."