A model of an industrial humanoid robot under development by the U.S. humanoid robot startup ‘Persona AI’. Provided by POSCO Group

POSCO Group is pursuing a proof-of-concept project to deploy humanoid (human-like) robots for logistics management of steel products within its steelworks.

POSCO Group announced on the 4th that, on the previous day, at the POSCODX Pangyo headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with four companiesPOSCO, POSCODX, POSCO Technology Investment, and Persona AIto enable on-site application of industrial humanoid robots. Persona AI is a U.S. humanoid robot startup founded in 2024 that develops industrial humanoid robots capable of tasks ranging from micro-component assembly to handling heavy loads.

The core of the agreement is to deploy humanoid robots built by Persona AI to POSCO steelworks sites and conduct a proof of concept (POC) to verify mechanical safety and the potential for collaboration with humans. The verification period will be about one year, and, based on the results, POSCO plans to expand the scale of on-site deployment of the robots and apply them to various logistics settings. In human terms, it is akin to a ‘conversion-to-regular-employment internship’.

To this end, among the four companies, POSCO will identify workstations at steelworks where humanoid robots can be introduced and will be responsible for assessing on-site applicability. POSCODX will handle the design and construction of robot automation systems and develop models specialized for steelworks, while Persona AI will develop and implement a humanoid robot platform tailored to steel plant industrial environments. POSCO Technology Investment will support the execution of the POC.

The humanoid robots will first be deployed to the unloading area for finished rolled coils. Unloading heavy finished coils requires crane operations, and the humanoid robots will be tasked with fastening the crane belts to the coils. POSCO stated, “Logistics work that handles coils weighing 20~40 t carries a high risk of accidents, and there is also a latent risk of musculoskeletal disorders due to repetitive tasks,” and added, “We expect that deploying humanoid robots can resolve these issues.”

A POSCO Group official said, “To respond in a timely manner to industrial paradigm shifts including AX (AI transformation), we plan to expand intelligent factories (smart factories) across manufacturing sites and create safe and pleasant workplaces.”