Agibot X2, Unitree G1, and Leju Kuavo 4th Era Professional humanoid robots make their debuts in South Korea. Credit score: AW 2026
SEOUL — Sensible Manufacturing unit & Automation World, or AW 2026, opened yesterday. The occasion, which occupies the complete Coex venue and options 2,300 cubicles, is the biggest one in AW’s 36-year historical past, in line with the organizers. It was based because the Manufacturing Innovation Expo.
This 12 months’s theme of “Autonomy: the driver of sustainability” displays the worldwide shift from manufacturing unit automation and digitalization to AI and robotics in a number of industries, they mentioned. They added that the objective is manufacturing “with greater intelligence, adaptability, and minimal human intervention.”
In his opening keynote, Jo Sang Hyeon, president of Coex, defined how AW‘s expo halls and session tracks had been organized round 5 themes or tendencies: good factories, industrial and collaborative robotics, machine imaginative and prescient and sensors, digital twins, and bodily AI together with humanoid robots.
“AW has grown significantly in both scale and quality, evolving beyond Korea to become one of Asia’s leading exhibitions for manufacturing innovation,” he mentioned. “In particular, this year marks a major shift toward AI and humanoid robots, positioning AW as the Korean version of CES, with representatives from across the industry and more than 100 media outlets visiting the exhibition.”
Bodily AI brings self-learning programs to autonomous manufacturing
Many corporations and panelists mentioned how synthetic intelligence is shifting from software program solely to enabling robots to function with higher flexibility within the bodily world.
“Moving beyond software-centric applications, generative and industrial AI are now being embedded directly into robots, production facilities, and assembly lines – bringing intelligence directly into the physical layer of manufacturing,” famous the AW organizers.
“AW 2026 will serve as a platform presenting the direction of the ‘Physical AI era,’ where AI moves beyond software and integrates directly with industrial environments.” said Sang Hyeon. “Coex will continue strengthening its role as a global industrial platform driving AI-powered manufacturing transformation and the expansion of autonomous production systems.”
Within the new AI Manufacturing unit Pavilion in The Platz at Coex, exhibitors akin to POSCO DX, CJ Olivenetworks, and Doosan‘s Digital Innovation enterprise unit demonstrated the mixing of imaginative and prescient AI, digital twins, and data-driven course of controls.
A separate corridor was devoted to machine imaginative and prescient programs for functions starting from high quality inspection and robotic steering to accumulating knowledge for simulation and AI-aided choice making.
About 30,000 attendees got here to Coex in Seoul yesterday, Supply: AW 2026
Hyundai demonstrates ‘end-to-end’ logistics
Hyundai Motor Group, which each makes use of automation as a serious automaker and is a provider of automation, occupied a number of giant cubicles at AW 2026. In the course of the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the occasion, its MobED platform introduced gloves to the trade and authorities dignitaries.
Hyundai Robotics Lab‘s MobED had gained the Better of Innovation award at CES 2026, and this was its first public look in Korea. The robotic has among the maneuverability of a quadruped and might carry a variety of payloads.
Hyundai additionally introduced the MobED Alliance, which together with main Korean corporations, to assist develop functions for it. As well as, the corporate reportedly plans to speculate $6 billion in a robotics, knowledge, and power hub close to Seoul.
Additionally debuting at AW was the humanoid robotic Atlas from Boston Dynamics, though it was not operational. Hyundai mentioned final 12 months that it plans to purchase “tens of thousands” of robots from its Boston Dynamics unit.
As well as, Hyundai Glovis demonstrated its built-in AI-based automation and built-in tools controls with cellular robots from a number of distributors and an automatic storage and retrieval system (ASRS) from AutoStore. Hyundai Mobis introduced autonomous cellular robots (AMRs).
Different world corporations displaying logistics and manufacturing prowess included industrial automation chief FANUC, force- and power-limited cobot maker Common Robots, and autonomous cellular robotic (AMR) supplier Geekplus Applied sciences.
Boston Dynamics’ Atlas made its Korean debut this week. Credit score: Eugene Demaitre
Humanoids make their Korean debuts
Along with Boston Dynamics and Atlas, T-Robotics publicly confirmed its humanoid robotic for the primary time in South Korea.
The China Humanoid Robotic Convention at AW 2026 addressed commercialization methods and world trade tendencies. Daniel He, senior AI architect at Huawei, delivered a keynote addressing the evolution of embodied intelligence and potential functions. Hyung-kwan Shin, CEO of the China Capital Markets Lab, moderated a panel to debate commercialization methods, worldwide cooperation, and the way forward for the humanoid sector.
Chinese language humanoid robots on show included the X2 and G2 fashions from Agibot, which claimed to be the world’s main humanoid robotics firm when it comes to world shipments and market share. They’re already in business use in China, an organization consultant informed The Robotic Report.
Unitree‘s G1 carried out pre-programmed martial arts strikes, whereas Leju‘s Kuavo 4th Era Professional walked round. G1 is meant as a analysis and improvement platform, and Kuavo, which makes use of NVIDIA Isaac Sim and Jetson, is in business proofs of idea.
Semi-humanoid robots, with a human-like torso and a wheeled base, had been extra frequent sights than legged humanoids at AW 2026. DARWIN from Customary Robots was one instance.
A number of corporations akin to Gosung Engineering and Mech-Thoughts confirmed cellular manipulators for duties akin to palletizing, machine tending, and conveyance of electronics and machine elements.
Korea affords trade management, funding alternatives
Whereas 500 corporations from 24 international locations sprawled throughout 5 halls at AW 2026, many had been based mostly in South Korea or had been from China, Japan, and the West with native divisions. In addition they mirrored evolving service and industrial robotics.
Authorities representatives mentioned authorized and monetary help to encourage small and midsize producers to accumulate robots to be globally aggressive. By 2030, the Korean authorities desires to extend automation within the nation‘s factories by 10%. The audio system additionally cited public-private analysis and the chance for buyers.
The Korea Worldwide Commerce Affiliation hosted a 1:1 enterprise assembly, and a complete of 24 patrons from eight corporations deliberate to facilitate conferences with taking part Korean corporations. AW 2026 additionally included greater than 200 specialised convention classes round subjects akin to AI in manufacturing.
AW’s organizers included Coex, the Korea Trade Intelligentization Affiliation, the Korea Sensible Manufacturing Workplace, the Korea Machine Imaginative and prescient Industrial Affiliation, Chomdan Inc., and the Korea Worldwide Commerce Affiliation.
