SK Telecom made an announcement on May 26 that it has developed a COVID-19 quarantine robot armed with advanced ICT technologies such as 5G and AI along with Omron Electronics Korea, which specializes in factory automation.
The two companies started collaboration based on the common corporate ideology of creating social values and developed robots, and expect that robots will be able to respond to COVID-19 more systematically and efficiently by replacing existing human tasks such as body temperature tests and quarantine using UV lamps.
COVID-19 quarantine robot began preventive activities against the spread of COVID-19 at SK Telecom's headquarters in Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul from May 26, including quarantine activities, temperature tests for visitors, wearing masks and encouraging them to practice social distancing.
The robot, which was developed by SK Telecom and Omron, is applied with advanced ICT technologies such as 5G and AI, and factory automation control technologies such as robot self-driving and IoT sensing.
Robots use 5G networks to exchange data with servers in real time and perform various roles such as autonomous driving, temperature inspection, and quarantine. For example, the robot sends the measured temperature test data to the server through the 5G network, and the server analyzes it to restrict access to the site if the body temperature is high.
In addition, the robot will be applied with AI-based recognition technology developed by SK Telecom, which will encourage visitors to put on social distance and wear masks. If people are crowded, robots approach and ask for social distance practice, and people who do not wear masks are also encouraged to wear masks.
SK Telecom is also going to apply its 5G-based big data analysis solution called 'Metatron' to the COVID-19 quarantine robot to help efficient operation of robots.
Metatron collects and analyzes data from major components that make up the robot through sensors attached to the robot to predict in real time when the robot needs maintenance as well as checking the current state of the robot.
The newly unveiled robot is expected to be more efficient than existing robots as it can perform various functions, ranging from body temperature inspection, guidance and quarantine, transportation functions to mask-wear and social distance-keeping requests.
SK Telecom and Omron are planning to introduce the COVID-19 quarantine robot first into their facilities and then officially release it in the second half of this year. Based on their competitive edge in the market, the two companies are planning to tap into overseas markets next year.
"SK Telecom is a leading ICT company in Korea that is a model country for COVID-19 quarantine," said Choi Nak-hoon, head of SK Telecom's Industrial Data Business Unit. "SK Telecom will continue to use advanced ICT technologies such as 5G and AI to introduce various services suitable for the untact era."
Meanwhile, Kim Young-ho, CEO of Omron, said, "This robot will serve as a good example of how companies can contribute to solving social problems by applying cooperation and technology between the two companies to overcome the crisis caused by COVID-19."
