EMERGE OF SERVICE ROBOTS

[Anchor Lead]

Demand for non-contact services has soared since the coronavirus pandemic began. So-called service robots that can deliver products to customers' doorsteps and even park their cars are becoming a part of everyday life.

[Pkg]

A car exits the elevator of an automated parking tower. It moves around the parking lot, finds an empty spot and stops. There is no human driver. The car was parked by a built-in robot.

[Soundbite] Kim Deok-keun(CEO of parking robot developing company) : "It can park on behalf of drivers. If such robots are used in the future, up to 30 percent more parking spaces can be utilized."

An autonomous robot heads somewhere with coffee. It stops at a crosswalk and waits until it's safe to cross. This robot is delivering coffee ordered via an online app. Last month, a food delivery service using robots was launched on a pilot basis.

[Soundbite] Kim Byung-soo(CEO of delivery robot developing company) : "With virus prevention being an important aspect these days, many people prefer to receive their orders without having to make contact with others."

With demand for non-contact services soaring in the COVID-19 era, service robots with precise and detailed movements are being developed one after another. In Korea, service robots currently account for just 11 percent. Their use in health care and dining is growing exponentially. Last year, the global service robot market reached 23 trillion won. Two years from now, it's predicted to surpass 45 trillion won.

[Soundbite] Yoon Jung-min(Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement) : "In the past, robots were mostly used for publicity by cafes and businesses. Nowadays, more and more places are using them, as they can actually replace people."

The service robot market is growing fast, as robots are becoming part of daily life.
The government plans to ease relevant regulations and boost support for the robotics market by 2023 to make South Korea one of the top-four robotics superpowers.