LG expands robot business to hotels

LG Electronics said Sunday it is expanding its robot business to the hotel industry by introducing a delivery robot.

Two delivery robots are in a pilot phase at Mayfield Hotel in northwestern Seoul this month, which will deliver food from an indoor kitchen to an outdoor terrace and carry back dishes to the kitchen.

It is the first time the tech giant is unveiling a robot that is capable of driving on its own in an outdoor environment.

After testing the outdoor robot at Mayfield, the company plans to expand its application to college campuses, apartment complexes and amusement parks.

Later this month, LG is also planning with the hotel to introduce a draft beer robot that will be able to place a mug on the beer dispenser, pour the type of beverage ordered and bring it to customers.

“The hotel and LG are working together to replace simple and routine tasks with robots, while having human employees focus on responding to other urgent needs of customers,” LG said in a press release.

LG plans to come up with an integrated robot for hotels that can manage tasks from outdoor delivery, food and beverage serving to concierge, expanding its business portfolio.

“LG will continue developing robots that offer new experiences and value for customers,” the company said.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)