An Elevator Dedicated to Robots
Hyundai Movex, a subsidiary of Hyundai Elevator, has commercialized the world’s first robot elevator.
The company announced on April 14 that it has supplied Roboport, a robot-only inter-floor transport system, to Naver’s new office building “1784.” Roboport is a dedicated elevator for about 100 robots working in Naver’s new office building. Robots can call the elevator and automatically get it on and off.
Roboport is a system where 10 carriers circulate using a 128-meter-long ascending and descending vertical rail and upper and lower traversers. Although a general elevator is operated on one hoist way, 10 carriers circulate in Roboport, allowing more robots to move.
In addition, as many carriers must be controlled at a speed of up to 90 meters per minute, Roboport employs various advanced technologies such as a driving route algorithm, collision avoidance and a robot interlocking prediction standby system. Control by the AI, Robot and Cloud (ARC) based on Naver Cloud and 5G networks improved operation efficiency as it can automatically adjust the number of carriers according to the volume of cargoes. Roboport is also loaded with an automatic shut-off device to prevent robots from leaving during operation. When descending, it uses recycled electricity to save energy.
Hyundai Movex started developing Roboport in April 2020 in cooperation with Naver and Naver Labs and installed it in Naver’s new main building in June 2021. After two years of trial operations, it succeeded in the commercialization of Roboport.