A forklift-style robot without a driver's seat stopped in front of a pallet on the floor. When the front 3D vision sensor read the pallet's shape and the picking hole position, the robot pushed its forks precisely into the holes and lifted the materials. It then moved smoothly, avoiding nearby obstacles. The robot moved based on SLAM, an Autonomous Driving technology in which sensors perceive the surrounding environment and the system maps on its own. It was a scene of a robot taking over repetitive and dangerous hauling tasks at a construction site.
The 2026 Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Expo, which opened on the 24th at COEX in Seoul's Gangnam District, was an exhibition that showcased the future technologies of the land and transport industry at a glance. Hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the event is held for three days through the 26th under the theme Move For Tomorrow. Five themed zones were set up in the exhibition hall: mobility, smart construction, AI city, space and aviation, and innovative companies.
The most eye-catching spot was the Smart Construction Alliance booth. The smart material-handling robot jointly developed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Samsung C&T recognized the pallet's shape, automatically lifted the materials, and then determined its own driving route. The aim is to automate the heavy material transport work previously done directly by people at construction sites to improve both safety and productivity.
POSCO E&C showcased a welding collaborative robot. Linked with design drawing information, this robot calculates welding conditions and travels along rails to perform butt welding. DL E&C demonstrated a smart integrated safety control platform. The technology connects on-site communication networks, an integrated safety control dashboard, and smart safety devices in real time to detect accident risks in advance.
Hyundai Motor Group also put robot technology front and center. The Humanoid Robot Atlas, the quadruped robot Spot, and the mobile robot platform MobED performed a sequence of movements in front of visitors. It showed robots expanding beyond factories and laboratories into construction, logistics, and urban infrastructure sites.
Korean Air Lines unveiled drones and rovers for aircraft exterior inspection and a simulator for mechanic training. The core is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based aircraft robotic inspection system. In the air, drones examine the upper part of the aircraft, while on the ground, rovers check the lower part. AI then analyzes the collected data to determine whether there are defects. Korean Air Lines said the technology can reduce the exterior inspection time for large aircraft from 8 to 10 hours to about 50 minutes.
This year's technology expo drew participation from 81 institutions and corporations. Independent exhibition spaces expanded to 33, more than double last year. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it organized the exhibition so the public can directly experience future growth engines in the land and transport sector, including Autonomous Driving, space and aviation, smart construction, and AI city.
Minister Kim Yun-duk of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a commemorative speech that greater change is coming now than at any time in the past, adding that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is not just a ministry in charge of real estate and construction safety but one that promotes advanced research and development, demonstration, and dissemination in the land and transport field. He added that he hopes it will become an event that showcases Korea's advanced technology like the U.S. CES.
Park Min-woo, head of Hyundai Motor and Kia AVP and CEO of 42dot, who delivered the keynote speech on the theme Korea in the era of physical AI, pointed to real-world data as a key competitive edge. Park said, Data that cannot be known without direct experience—such as the slipperiness a car feels on a rainy road, or the friction and pressure a robot senses—is important, adding, This data is still not sufficient.
Park said that while the United States and China are ahead in Autonomous Driving data, there are opportunities for Korea and Hyundai Motor, adding that when 200 autonomous vehicles are deployed across Gwangju Metropolitan City this year, it will become a test bed where valuable demonstration data is accumulated.