Daedong Robotics appoints globally renowned robotics scholar Dr. Yeo Jun-gu as CEO
Daedong Robotics appoints globally renowned robotics scholar Dr. Yeo Jun-gu as CEO
- New CEO recruited to strengthen competitiveness in AI robotics business. Global leader in robotics and world-renowned scholar who served as Director of the Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS) Program at the US National Science Foundation and is a Life Fellow Member of IEEE
- Dr. Yeo led KIRO to double in size, worked on AI and robotics research with more than 200 companies, and developed over 20 robotic technologies
- New CEO, Dr. Yeo Jun-gu vows to “contribute to the growth of Daedong as a global corporation with AI and robotics, and the development of the robotics industry ecosystem in Korea”
Daedong Robotics, Daedong Group's subsidiary specializing in AI-powered intelligent robotics, announced on February 10 that it has appointed Dr. Yeo Jun-gu, a globally renowned scholar in robotics, as its new CEO.
Dr. Yeo has received several prestigious awards including the US Presidential Award, and has published over 120 papers and academic research books, including “Introduction to Autonomous Manipulation” (Springer). In recognition of these research achievements and his activities as program chair and honorary chair of international robotics conferences, he was selected as a Life Fellow Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)[i], the world's largest technology society, in 2014.
Dr. Yeo Jun-gu graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Mechanical Design and received his master's and doctoral degrees in robotics from Oregon State University in the United States. Thereafter, he served as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Hawaii, the inaugural director of the Autonomous Systems Lab, known for its R&D of autonomous underwater working robots, and as the director of the Information and Intelligent Systems Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) headquarters in Washington D.C., which selects and supports major US government research projects in robotics and intelligent systems. Dr. Yeo contributed to the creation of the National Robotics Initiative, a cross-departmental US government project that led to the development of collaborative robots. He also served as the director of the NSF East Asia and Pacific region at the US Embassy in Japan, contributing to science diplomacy in the region.
In Korea, upon serving as the 5th and 6th president of Korea Aerospace University, Dr. Yeo became the founding director of the Robot and Media Research Institute at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and served as the 3rd and 4th president of the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence (KIRO)[ii] to help grow the robotics industry in Korea. During his tenure at KIRO, Dr. Yeo played a pivotal role in the development of KIRO and the domestic robotics industry by doubling the research personnel, infrastructure, and R&D projects.
Moreover, he pushed for various technology development projects in robotics and AI through close collaboration with more than 200 domestic and foreign companies, including Daedong, Hanwha Systems, LIG Nex1, POSCO, and Samsung E&A, establishing joint research centers with some, and developed at least 20 robotic technologies in underwater, disaster safety, piping/construction, and agriculture fields. Dr. Yeo also founded the Robotics Training Innovation Center (RoTIC), which has the largest robotics education facility in Korea, including over 130 domestic and foreign manufacturing robots, and trains more than 1,000 field specialists every year.
Meanwhile, Daedong Robotics, established in November last year, is in charge of planning projects, designing products as well as sales marketing for Daedong Group's intelligent robot products across three areas: ▲agricultural and industrial, ▲mobility and transportation, ▲cleaning/snow plowing. This year, the company plans to launch an AI-enhanced autonomous transport robot that underwent demonstration and testing at domestic fruit orchards last year. Daedong Robotics is hoping to grow its sales to over KRW 130 billion by 2029 by taking advantage of the market for AI-powered intelligent robots, which is forecasted to grow at an average annual rate of 12.3%[iii].
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[i] IEEE Fellows are selected annually among the top 0.1% of IEEE members who have made outstanding technical achievements and significant contributions to the advancement of engineering science and technology. IEEE Life Fellow Membership is a qualification given to Fellows who have contributed to the growth and development of IEEE, as a representative of the IEEE Board of Directors and over 450,000 IEEE members worldwide. They play a leadership role in all areas of the IEEE organization.
[ii] Established in 2012, KIRO is Korea's only specialized robotics research institute under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It is a global research institution specializing in leading research and development in robot convergence technology with corporations. Through the organic cooperation between industry, academia, research, and government, KIRO promotes research and development in the robot convergence industry, trains research personnel, and provides technical support required for industrialization purposes.
[iii] According to Precedence Research, a global market research firm, AI-powered intelligent robots are gaining attention in various industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and services. Due to the advancement of machine learning and sensor technologies, and increased demand for precision and automation, the market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 12.3% from USD 70.8 billion (approximately KRW 97 trillion) in 2020 to USD 141.9 billion (approximately KRW 195 trillion) in 2026.