Naver unveils robotics computing platform at LEAP 2024

The Korean internet powerhouse revealed the joint project with Samsung Electronics, designed to improve robotics, at the tech event in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Naver revealed technology related to robotics at LEAP 2024 hosted in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The company set up a booth during the four-day event. [NAVER]

Naver, Korea's major internet company, introduced a new robotics computing platform developed jointly with Samsung Electronics during the LEAP 2024 tech event in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The project, currently under development with Samsung Electronics' System LSI Division, is an edge computing platform that can enable a faster response and more efficient operation by robots.

It combines Naver’s operating system (OS) and software solutions with semiconductor solutions from Samsung, including system-on-chips and image sensors, to create an integrated platform.

Naver hopes to accelerate the popularization of robotics through this project.

Other technology the company revealed at the event is the world’s first web platform-enabled OS that allows for easier robotic maneuvering.

Dubbed the “ARC mind powered by Whale OS,” the technology enables developers to integrate numerous web applications into robot services and provide specialized web application programming interfaces (API) to control robot movements.

ARC mind will enable developers to more easily develop diverse robot-related services, according to Naver.

Moreover, ARC mind is more user-friendly in the sense that it has a simpler structure compared to other existing OS for robotics, making it lightweight and fast. IT also provides over-the-air (OTA) technology that uses wireless communication to update software in real time, enabling new features to be applied to robots instantly.

The company will deploy the technology in its own robots before eventually open sourcing the system for universal access in the future.

LEAP is an annual tech event founded in 2022 by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology hosted in Riyadh, considered the country's version of the CES tech fair, that welcomed a total of 170,000 visitors from 183 countries last year.

The Korean tech company set up its booth at the event under the theme of a “global tech convergence company” alongside global tech giants such as Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]