Agricultural robots that automatically harvest cucumbers and strawberries, and an autonomous rescue system that detects Han River jump attempts by voice and dispatches drones, could be commercialized as early as within one to two years. The government said it would select 229 projects and invest 754 billion won to swiftly commercialize artificial intelligence (AI) application products and services that the public can feel.
The Ministry of Planning and Budget on the 19th announced the selection results for the AI application product rapid commercialization support program (AX Sprint), which is being promoted in collaboration with 11 ministries, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. For 246 slots, 1,604 applications were received, marking a competition rate of 6.5 to 1.
The selected projects are focused on areas with urgent demand such as labor, care, and safety. In agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, projects selected include automatic cucumber and strawberry harvesting robots, robots to automate slaughter processes, and a system that autonomously determines feeding volumes at fish farms. In elderly care, the list includes a 24-hour care system linking AI smart home devices with in-home care, and a walker that reduces the risk of falls. High-risk industrial worksites will see the deployment of an autonomous-flight drone safety management system, an Autonomous Driving semi-Humanoid Robot, and construction demolition robots.
Unconventional products also stand out. A manufacturing intelligence solution that designs the taste and flavor of K-sauces and fermented pastes with AI and detects fermentation anomalies will be applied to an actual production line as soon as development is completed, with Sempio Food Company participating as the demand-side corporation. An urban mining system in which AI analyzes precious metals in discarded electronics and robots sort and recover them is expected to raise the recovery rate of high-value resources that currently flow overseas by 20% to 50%. A construction robot that unmannedly carries out demolition of old buildings and work in collapse-risk areas detects a combination of vibration, tilt, and dust to block signs of collapse in advance.
Of the selected projects, 91.3% (209) are designed so that real adopting corporations form consortia and secure sales channels from the development stage. Of the selected corporations, 82.1% are small and midsize, 25.8% were founded within seven years, and 42.8% are located outside the greater Seoul area. The government also said it expects to help invigorate Korea's AI ecosystem, with 41.3% of the projects adopting domestic AI models and 30.6% adopting domestic AI semiconductors (NPUs).
During the agreement process, the government will survey corporation-specific regulatory difficulties and, if necessary, provide support linked to the regulatory sandbox. For outstanding products, it will also support securing private and public sales channels through overseas exhibitions and innovative public procurement.
Minister Park Hong-geun of the Ministry of Planning and Budget said, "Related ministries will provide end-to-end support on regulations, procurement, and sales channels so that the selected corporations can deliver results that the public can feel within one to two years."