GIST to develop 'physical AI' robots in partnership with KETI, US firm

Domestic and international players from industry, academia and research have joined forces to develop AI robots capable of working alongside people and providing care in everyday settings.

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology announced Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Electronics Technology Institute and US robotics AI company Lavoro AI to conduct joint research in human-centered physical AI and robotics.

The agreement will be driven by GIST's PAIR-HCI Center — the GIST-MIT Human-Centered Physical AI Interaction Research Center. The three institutions plan to collaborate on developing physical AI technologies for use in daily life and industrial settings.

Key research areas include robots that assist with creative tasks, care robots and human-AI interaction technology. The partners will also identify joint research projects, facilitate researcher exchanges and expand overseas internship opportunities for student researchers.

Lavoro AI was founded by Oh Hye-jin, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute. The company developed RIO, an open-source robot control framework that supports real-time control, remote operation and AI model deployment across different robot types. It is also developing a physical AI foundation model for caregiving applications.

KETI has been involved in physical AI joint research with GIST since the two institutions signed an agreement in December 2024. The new MOU extends that existing collaboration to include a US robotics AI company.

The partnership is particularly significant in that it broadens GIST's ongoing international joint research with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology into a wider industry-academia-research collaboration.

GIST has been conducting joint research with MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory since 2021. Last year, it was selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's program to establish cooperative hubs with leading overseas research institutions, securing 7.7 billion won ($5.74 million) in support through 2030 to operate its human-centered physical AI research center.

Building on the new agreement, GIST plans to expand joint research and personnel exchanges with overseas institutions including MIT, the University of Washington, Carnegie Mellon University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

"We have laid the groundwork for physical AI research that people can trust and work alongside, by bringing together the research and technology capabilities of KETI and Lavoro AI," said Kim Seung-jun, director of GIST's PAIR-HCI Center. "We will produce research outcomes applicable in real-life settings such as caregiving and creative work."