Hyundai Engineering & Construction is leading the way among domestic construction companies by introducing autonomous robot delivery services in its complexes, aiming to create a robot-friendly future residential area.

A self-driving robot equipped with unmanned elevator boarding and alighting functions operates the service. /Courtesy of Hyundai Engineering.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on the 14th that it plans to first apply the indoor and outdoor integrated autonomous robot delivery service, co-developed with Hyundai Motor Group startup "Mobinn," at the "DH Daechi Edelweiss," which is scheduled to be completed in June.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction plans to gradually expand the application of its Door-to-Door (D2D) robot delivery service to multifamily housing.

This autonomous D2D robot delivery service is the first of its kind in the domestic construction industry, integrating with wireless communication and control systems and equipped with unmanned boarding and alighting functions for elevators. It can move through all areas from the road to underground parking lots, common entrance doors, elevators, and front doors of individual units.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction completed a pilot for the autonomous robot delivery service targeting residents of the standalone townhouse "Hillstate Raphiano Samsong" last year. Earlier this year, it signed a business agreement with Hyundai Elevator to commercialize the service through the application of intelligent technology.

The upgraded service is equipped with intelligent technology that allows it to make judgments and decisions in various situations. It includes an unmanned automatic call function for elevators, as well as a feature to re-call in case of cancellation at the designated floor and a feature to assess exceeding elevator capacity.

The autonomous delivery robot developed by Mobinn applies technology that allows for unrestricted movement, making it suitable for various uses such as parcel delivery, food delivery, and patrol. Its specially developed rubber wheel structure makes it easy to overcome obstacles like stairs, and it is equipped with a feature to maintain load stability. By installing 3D LiDAR and cameras, it can recognize surrounding terrains and objects and comprehensively assess situations. There’s also a patrol mode function for idle times, enabling autonomous driving specialized for pedestrian safety.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction proposed plans to create a robot-friendly residential area by applying the "autonomous D2D robot delivery service" in the Hanam 4 Redevelopment Zone in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Having previously secured key reconstruction projects such as Banpo Jugong Apartment Complex No. 1 and Hanam 3 Zone, Hyundai Engineering & Construction plans to apply various smart technology services to present a new paradigm of future residential culture for residents in this area.

A representative of Hyundai Engineering & Construction noted, "The integrated indoor and outdoor autonomous robot delivery service, which imposes no restrictions on movement, will contribute not only to customer convenience but also to improving the quality of life for future customers pursuing a free and comfortable lifestyle," and said, "We will continuously expand residential technology and service areas that reflect a robot-friendly future lifestyle, leading to a differentiated residential culture unique to Hyundai Engineering & Construction."

Hyundai Engineering & Construction is continuously focusing its capabilities on discovering innovative services to lead a robot-friendly future residential culture. Last year, it collaborated with CJ Logistics and the robotics startup D-Hive to conduct a last-mile robot delivery service project utilizing Boston Dynamics' robot "Spot." By utilizing robotics technology, it is developing services specialized for multifamily housing complexes in partnership with its group’s innovation platform and promising startups.