(BPT) - By Jae-cheol Lyu, President & CEO of LG Electronics
Since CES 2026, much of the spotlight was on industrial robots, led by humanoids. Alongside them, our vision for home robots at LG Electronics drew strong attention by offering a clear and credible blueprint for the role robots can play inside the home - one of the most personal and complex spaces in our lives.
From a robotics perspective, the home is the ultimate unstructured environment. A sock left on the floor, a child suddenly running into a room, or the constantly shifting rhythms of family life expose the limits of robots that lack true situational understanding.
Our differentiated competitiveness in this environment comes from three core strengths. The accompanying infographic, "LG Home Robots: The Final Piece of the Zero-Labor Home," further details these strengths. It shows they are built on an understanding of key industry growth drivers - such as convenience-driven living, connected smart homes and the demands of an aging society - and highlights LG's clear roadmap for the future of robotics, from appliance robots to space-driven robots.
First, we are experts in the home. Moravec's Paradox reminds us that tasks humans find effortless - grasping objects, organizing spaces, adjusting force - are extraordinarily difficult for machines. Even "simple" home robot functions demand exceptional technology and data. Over nearly 70 years, our home appliance and customer service businesses have generated what we call "life data" - deep domain knowledge of real homes, real inconveniences, and moments when customers want to feel genuinely cared for. Guided by our concept of Affectionate Intelligence, we focus on technologies that truly matter in everyday life.
Second, we have built robotics expertise over time. LG CLOiD did not appear overnight. Through sustained investment, we have strengthened key robotics capabilities. Through Bear Robotics - whose solutions have been proven across commercial sites - we have built strong expertise in real-world service environments, while our affiliate ROBOSTAR has advanced industrial robot technologies for smart factories. At the same time, expanded investments in AGIBOT and Figure AI are further accelerating our robotics capabilities across both hardware and software.
Third, we combine internal technologies with strategic partnerships. Our AI-powered appliances have secured strong on-device AI capabilities, supported by vertically integrated hardware and software optimized for robotics. At the same time, we collaborate with global technology leaders - working with Google on Gemini to enhance contextual understanding, and with NVIDIA's Isaac platform to train and test robots in digital twin environments.
Our roadmap is clear: start with specialized service robots, evolve appliances into robotic solutions, and ultimately introduce robots that act as "conductors of space," orchestrating the entire home.
Through robotics, we will continue advancing our vision of the Zero Labor Home. Beyond home appliances, LG Electronics is setting a new standard for home robotics - and I invite you to watch this journey unfold.
