Establishing a Collaboration Model Between Workers and Humanoid Robots to Expand Physical AI to Heavy and Heavy Industries

POSCO Group is accelerating the adoption of physical AI in manufacturing sites by pursuing a project to apply humanoid robots to steel product logistics management.

On the 3rd, POSCO Group signed an MOU at the POSCO DX Pangyo headquarters with representatives from four companies: POSCO, POSCO DX, POSCO Investment, and Persona AI, to implement industrial humanoid robots in the field.

Under the agreement, POSCO will identify potential work sites at its steelworks and assess their feasibility. POSCO DX will design and build a robot automation system and jointly develop a steelworks-specific model. POSCO Investment will support the implementation of a Proof of Concept (PoC), a small-scale preliminary test of ideas and technologies to determine their practical feasibility. Persona AI will be responsible for the development and implementation of a humanoid robot platform tailored to the steelworks industrial environment.

POSCO Group and Persona AI have agreed to begin testing Persona AI’s humanoid robot business in the logistics management of steel coils produced at the steelworks in February. Unloading rolled coils weighing tens of tons requires crane operation. The humanoid robot will collaborate with field workers to attach the crane belt to the coils. This is expected to be an example of human-robot collaboration creating a safer work environment.

Logistics work involving handling coils weighing 20 to 40 tons carries a high risk of accidents and the potential for musculoskeletal disorders due to repetitive tasks. The deployment of humanoid robots is expected to address these issues. Since last year, POSCO Group has been considering the introduction of humanoid robots in terminal logistics processes, such as transportation and material preparation, considering the characteristics of heavy construction sites. If this demonstration process confirms the mechanical safety and collaboration potential of humanoid robots with workers, the group plans to expand their deployment and apply them to various logistics sites.

Persona AI is a US-based humanoid robot startup founded in 2024 by renowned robotics engineers and industry experts. Prior to this agreement, POSCO Group invested a total of $3 million in Persona AI last year. Combining NASA’s robotic hand technology with its own precision control technology, Persona AI is developing industrial humanoid robots capable of everything from assembling fine components to handling heavy loads.

To respond promptly to the industrial paradigm shift, including AX, POSCO Group plans to expand its Intelligent Factory initiative across its manufacturing sites and create a safe and comfortable, technology-based workplace.

▲ (From the second from the left in the front row, moving right) Kyuho Chung, Head of POSCO DX Strategy Office; Minseok Shim, President & CEO of POSCO DX; Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI; Geunhwan Kim, President of POSCO Venture Capital, along with business representatives, pose for a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at POSCO DX’s Pangyo office for the on-site application of industrial humanoid robots.

Introducing Humanoid Robots Specialized in Heavy-Duty Industrial Sites to Enhance Productivity and Safety

POSCO Group is investing in a US-based company specializing in industrial humanoid robots to actively expand the use of physical AI in the field, combining its AI technology with robots.

POSCO DX (CEO Shim Min-suk) announced a $2 million investment in US-based industrial humanoid robot company ‘Persona AI’ and will actively collaborate on joint robot development and field application. This investment was made through the “POSCO DX Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) New Technology Investment Fund,” funded by POSCO DX and POSCO Capital in the second half of this year. An additional $1 million was invested through the “POSCO CVC Scale-Up Fund No. 1,” also funded by POSCO Capital, bringing the total investment to $3 million across the POSCO Group.

Founded in June 2024, Persona AI is an industrial humanoid robot company developing robots specialized for high-intensity, heavy-duty industrial sites. Co-founded by CEO Nicolaus Radford, a former NASA robotics engineer, and CTO Jerry Pratt, former CTO of Figure AI, a US humanoid robot company, the company is now CTO.

Based on NASA’s robotic hand technology, Persona AI implements precision control capabilities capable of everything from fine part assembly to heavy-duty handling. In addition, the company possesses multi-axis tactile sensing and adaptive control technology. This technology integrates data acquired through the robot’s multi-axis tactile sensor in real time to simultaneously control force and position, enabling the robot to perform stable tasks even in uneven environments. Furthermore, Persona AI applies an AI control algorithm based on the Robot Foundation Model (RFM), which acts as the robot’s brain, enabling the robot to autonomously interact with its surroundings and perform advanced tasks.

With this investment, POSCO DX plans to develop a detailed collaboration plan for the development of humanoid robots that can replace high-risk manual processes in the group’s industrial sites. The company explains that by combining its own industrial AI technology with Persona AI’s robotics technology, it will accelerate the spread of physical AI. Previously, POSCO DX is working with POSCO to implement physical AI, which efficiently controls large-scale equipment such as cranes, conveyor belts, and unloading machines at steel mills without human intervention.

The US investment bank Morgan Stanley forecast in a report that the global humanoid market will grow by an average of 63% annually, reaching approximately $38 billion (approximately 54 trillion won) by 2035, with manufacturing and logistics accounting for 60% of the market.

Meanwhile, POSCO Group is expanding its corporate venture capital (CVC) fund, which focuses on venture investments to identify innovative technologies and promising future businesses, from its existing focus at POSCO Holdings to a customized platform for each operating company. In August of this year, POSCO established its first CVC fund, with 50 billion won each for POSCO International and POSCO DX.

▲ Image of a humanoid robot model being developed by Persona AI.