Kakao Mobility said on the 16th that after partnering with ROBOTIS, an Autonomous Driving robot corporations, to run robot delivery services at hotels in Korea, it significantly increased robot utilization and confirmed a boost in revenue.
Kakao Mobility signed a business agreement with ROBOTIS in 2024 to launch a "platform-based indoor and outdoor delivery robot service," and has introduced and operated robot delivery services at hotels including Shilla Stay Seocho and Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul.
According to the company, since introducing the platform, the robots' average daily utilization has increased about eightfold from the initial period. As delivery failures decreased, the delivery success rate reached 100%, and reduced employee wait times and repetitive tasks created an environment where staff could focus on higher value-added work such as customer service.
The platform also drove revenue growth. At one hotel, room service revenue roughly tripled after adopting a platform-based QR ordering system. With improved ordering convenience and customer access, the company said the robots showed potential to expand beyond simple efficiency tools into a service model that generates new revenue.
Kakao Mobility said these results came from integrating robots and service infrastructure into a single platform to improve operational efficiency. The company integrated infrastructure management, security, heterogeneous robot integrated control, and fault management functions into the robot platform, and built an operating structure that consolidation hotel workers, robots, and the physical space environment.
It also improved robot dispatch efficiency by applying a transportation management system (TMS)-based supply and demand forecasting algorithm and matching technology. The platform categorizes delivery orders and automatically dispatches the optimal robot by considering each robot's characteristics and estimated arrival time.
Alongside this, it provided consulting on robot service operations, segmenting workflows to fit various delivery scenarios and supporting service design tailored to each client's operating environment. Tasks common to robot services were standardized, while detailed services were customized to suit the environments of the robot manufacturers and client companies.
Kakao Mobility plans to leverage this platform technology and operational experience to expand the robot ecosystem. It will work with domestic robot corporations including ROBOTIS, LG Electronics, and Bear Robotics to broaden use cases for the robot platform across hospitals, residential, offices, and logistics.
Kim Jin-gyu, head of Kakao Mobility's physical artificial intelligence (AI) institutional sector, said, "The robot platform plays a key role in consolidation the gap between manufacturers' technology and the needs of industrial worksites," adding, "Based on data-driven demand forecasting and optimization technologies accumulated in mobility, we will support the spread of Korea's robot ecosystem."