Seoul, South Korea – SK Telecom has successfully showcased its cutting-edge autonomous driving robot technology, leveraging its Telco Edge AI infrastructure in a two-month demonstration at its Pangyo headquarters, located south of Seoul. The trial focused on indoor product transport and delivery robots, emphasizing high-precision navigation within complex environments.
During the test, the robots—equipped with a suite of sensors, including cameras and Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs)—navigated the intricate layout of SK Telecom's building using advanced artificial intelligence. The company employed its Visual Localization And Mapping (VLAM) technology, an image-based sensor fusion system designed to ensure the robots' stable movement amidst complex surroundings.
The deployment of SK Telecom's Telco Edge AI infrastructure was central to the demonstration. This infrastructure is engineered to alleviate the computational demands on cloud servers by enabling real-time AI inference directly at the edge of the network, thus enhancing the efficiency and value of mobile networks. According to SK Telecom, this system has the potential to replace traditional, costly on-device vision AI equipment with a more cost-effective, scalable solution that also offers improved data security by processing information locally rather than sending it to a central server.
“Through this demonstration, we have laid the foundation for applying Telco Edge AI-based security technology and low-latency services to various industries,” said Ryu Tak-ki, head of SK Telecom’s infrastructure technology division.
The company anticipates that its Telco Edge AI infrastructure will lead to reductions in robot manufacturing costs, improvements in battery efficiency, and enable the execution of complex tasks requiring advanced AI calculations. SK Telecom is aiming to develop diverse business models based on this technology, targeting innovation across the manufacturing, logistics, and service sectors.
To further advance these technologies, SK Telecom plans to establish a dedicated testbed for evaluating edge AI-based products and services. The company is committed to continuing its field research and fostering collaboration between operators and manufacturers.
Ryu Tak-ki emphasized the company's forward-looking approach, stating, “We will lead the evolution of 6G AI wired and wireless infrastructure that adds new value to infrastructure by converging communications and AI in terms of technology development, global standardization, and ultra-cooperation.”
