NC AI, a physical artificial intelligence company, will develop an autonomous humanoid robot that transfers human movements to machines in partnership with LG Electronics.
NC AI said on the 3rd that it has been selected, as part of a consortium with LG Electronics, to carry out the humanoid segment of the K-On-Device AI Semiconductor Technology Development Project, run by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT). The project centers on developing autonomous humanoid robots equipped with domestically made on-device AI chips that can perform human-level tasks in complex everyday spaces.
NC AI will take sole charge of building initial learning-based General Motion Tracking (GMT) data and a human-to-robot retargeting pipeline that transfers human movements to robots. The technology precisely accounts for complex physical variables unique to humanoids — joint limits, body proportions, foot support and balance conditions — so that robots can maintain balance and move reliably in real environments.
Converting human work movements into training data for robots is considered a key element that widens a humanoid's range of motion and underpins precise control. Drawing on motion data assets built up over years and its advanced animation production pipeline, NC AI plans to convert human work movements into data optimized for humanoid training, raising the maturity of full-body control technology.
To that end, the company will build a digital twin environment to secure large volumes of training motion datasets covering a range of scenarios without physical constraints. It also plans to combine its motion control capabilities with its own world model technology, advancing the technology so robots can predict changes in their surroundings on their own and autonomously carry out complex, multi-stage long-horizon tasks in sequence.
The project is seen as significant because LG Electronics and other consortium members will integrate robot hardware, data and AI models, and domestic on-device AI chips into a single development framework. The ultimate goal is to secure, ahead of rivals, the high-performance, low-power on-device AI chips and core robotics technologies essential for real-time motion control in unstructured everyday spaces.
The technology will be applied broadly to general-purpose humanoids that help with organizing, carrying, serving and handling tools in the home, as well as to industrial and public sectors requiring advanced autonomous control, including manufacturing and logistics support, disaster response, facility inspections and work in hazardous areas.
"This project carries great significance in that the motion control technology and data capabilities we have accumulated over a long period will be realized as the autonomous movement of an actual humanoid," said NC AI CEO Lee Yeon-soo. "We will work closely with partners including LG Electronics to maximize the competitiveness of humanoids based on domestic on-device AI chips and take the lead in securing national strategic technologies."
