Description Meet Ai Robot That Responds to Your Voice  IPL has developed the “iJINI” social robot, which is a kind of robot that combines robotics technology with the IoT and speech recognition. IPL predicts that social robots will come to provide new services in the AI era, serving as a kind of central hub in the home.

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Description Meet Ai Robot That Responds to Your Voice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Launch of the Social Robot “iJINI”

 

IPL is the startup company behind the development of the “iJINI” social robot, which is a kind of robot 

that combines robotics technology with the Internet of Things (IoT) and speech recognition. Founded 

in March 2014, IPL aims to launch a series of social robots, beginning with the Chinese launch of iJINI 

in April and the Korean launch in June.

 

The iJINI robot resembles a puppy. Its head, which houses a camera, is able to look around, and its 

wheeled feet allow it move around freely. The robot is voice-controlled, and when asked questions 

about the weather, news, or user’s schedule, among others, it is able to provide relevant information. 

It also serves as a kind of home security guard. Upon detecting a sound when nobody is home, iJINI 

will identify the source of the sound and send a message to inform the owner. In addition, the robot 

can control other home appliances, following registration by the user, via remote control. For example, 

it can turn the lights on or off.

 

“iJINI can recognize simple commands spoken by the user, such as a command to show recent news, 

in response to which it will show news articles from various SNS sites,” said IPL CEO Kim Kyeung-wook.

He went on to explain, “Our robot can be considered as a kind of mobile remote control, as it is capable 

of controlling a wide range of devices, including TVs, lights, air conditioners, and boilers, via IR remote 

control, as long as they have been registered by the user .”

 

 

Secured a Deal with China Valued at USD 14 million

 

IPL’s early investment came from overseas rather than from investors in Korea. Following an investment 

of USD 2.2 million by Roobo in 2015, IPL signed a contract worth USD 14 million in November last year 

for the distribution of iJINI. This contract is the largest so far in the service robot industry. In addition, the 

company is in the process of finalizing distribution agreements with Thailand and Russia, and expects to 

find partners in Korea soon.

 

CEO Kim said, “It is impossible to survive by relying on the domestic market only, which is why we are 

striving to expand our business globally.” He continued, saying, “We were preparing to launch the iJINI 

robot early last year, but postponed its release in order to reinforce its artificial intelligence functions, and 

ended up developing a social robot instead.”

As the CEO of one of the few robotics startups in Korea, Kim emphasizes the need for greater investment 

in the robotics industry, saying, “Korea’s robot development companies are working in a very poor 

investment environment. The most common types of robots so far are cleaning robots, so active 

investment is sorely needed in other new growth areas.”

 

 

Born2Global Serves as a Stepping Stone for Overseas Expansion

 

Kim has been spending one-third of every year overseas, concentrating on the global expansion of 

his company. To assist in this effort, Born2Global has provided substantial support to IPL in various 

areas, including assistance finding prospective overseas investors and producing content for the 

company’s crowd-funding campaign.

 

Kim said, “With the help of Born2Global, I was able to find prospective overseas investors and buyers. 

The Centre offers excellent startup support programs that provide various kinds of assistance, including 

legal counsel.”

 

 

IPL Pursues Development of “Open Robot Platform”

 

When developing iJINI, IPL focused on allowing it to connect easily with other devices or platforms, based

on the belief that even those who are not very knowledgeable about hardware can still be developers and 

that flexibility was needed in order to ensure that the robot could be used in conjunction with various 

innovative technologies.

Kim explained, “My aim was to create an environment in which developers and companies unfamiliar with 

robots can easily develop robot-related content and apply diverse cloud-based AI services, such as IBM’s 

Watson, Amazon’s Alexa, and SKT’s Nugu, to our robot.”

 

Notably, IPL has optimized Android OS for use with robots. However, iJINI can accommodate other 

operating systems as well, including AI systems from global companies such as Google and IBM, 

or even IPL’s own system. In this way, IPL is jumping into the ecosystems of global companies while 

building up its own services at the same time. Moreover, the company plans to focus on increasing the 

value of its products, in terms of lifespan and utility, through periodic updates issued at least once a year.

 

 

Social Robot to Emerge as New Type of Home Appliance in the AI Era

 

Kim predicts that social robots will come to provide new services in the AI era, serving as a kind of central 

hub in the home. Although MIT’s “Zibo” and France’s “Buddy” robots have already been released, with 

Asus currently developing a robot called “Zenbo,” the social robot market is still in its infancy. In the first half 

of this year, IPL plans to launch a crowd-funding campaign for iJINI on Kickstarter as a way of testing the 

waters ahead of its entry into North America, Europe, and other markets around the world.

“People have enormous expectations for robots, but it will take a lot of time to meet those expectations,” 

said Kim. He added, “We aim to position social robots as essential home appliances. In the next two to 

three years, I believe that social robots will be the most popular product in the home appliance market.”

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

Our member in this article

Description Robotics Convergence Technology

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Launch of the Social Robot “iJINI”

 

IPL is the startup company behind the development of the “iJINI” social robot, which is a kind of robot 

that combines robotics technology with the Internet of Things (IoT) and speech recognition. Founded 

in March 2014, IPL aims to launch a series of social robots, beginning with the Chinese launch of iJINI 

in April and the Korean launch in June.

 

The iJINI robot resembles a puppy. Its head, which houses a camera, is able to look around, and its 

wheeled feet allow it move around freely. The robot is voice-controlled, and when asked questions 

about the weather, news, or user’s schedule, among others, it is able to provide relevant information. 

It also serves as a kind of home security guard. Upon detecting a sound when nobody is home, iJINI 

will identify the source of the sound and send a message to inform the owner. In addition, the robot 

can control other home appliances, following registration by the user, via remote control. For example, 

it can turn the lights on or off.

 

“iJINI can recognize simple commands spoken by the user, such as a command to show recent news, 

in response to which it will show news articles from various SNS sites,” said IPL CEO Kim Kyeung-wook.

He went on to explain, “Our robot can be considered as a kind of mobile remote control, as it is capable 

of controlling a wide range of devices, including TVs, lights, air conditioners, and boilers, via IR remote 

control, as long as they have been registered by the user .”

 

 

Secured a Deal with China Valued at USD 14 million

 

IPL’s early investment came from overseas rather than from investors in Korea. Following an investment 

of USD 2.2 million by Roobo in 2015, IPL signed a contract worth USD 14 million in November last year 

for the distribution of iJINI. This contract is the largest so far in the service robot industry. In addition, the 

company is in the process of finalizing distribution agreements with Thailand and Russia, and expects to 

find partners in Korea soon.

 

CEO Kim said, “It is impossible to survive by relying on the domestic market only, which is why we are 

striving to expand our business globally.” He continued, saying, “We were preparing to launch the iJINI 

robot early last year, but postponed its release in order to reinforce its artificial intelligence functions, and 

ended up developing a social robot instead.”

As the CEO of one of the few robotics startups in Korea, Kim emphasizes the need for greater investment 

in the robotics industry, saying, “Korea’s robot development companies are working in a very poor 

investment environment. The most common types of robots so far are cleaning robots, so active 

investment is sorely needed in other new growth areas.”

 

 

Born2Global Serves as a Stepping Stone for Overseas Expansion

 

Kim has been spending one-third of every year overseas, concentrating on the global expansion of 

his company. To assist in this effort, Born2Global has provided substantial support to IPL in various 

areas, including assistance finding prospective overseas investors and producing content for the 

company’s crowd-funding campaign.

 

Kim said, “With the help of Born2Global, I was able to find prospective overseas investors and buyers. 

The Centre offers excellent startup support programs that provide various kinds of assistance, including 

legal counsel.”

 

 

IPL Pursues Development of “Open Robot Platform”

 

When developing iJINI, IPL focused on allowing it to connect easily with other devices or platforms, based

on the belief that even those who are not very knowledgeable about hardware can still be developers and 

that flexibility was needed in order to ensure that the robot could be used in conjunction with various 

innovative technologies.

Kim explained, “My aim was to create an environment in which developers and companies unfamiliar with 

robots can easily develop robot-related content and apply diverse cloud-based AI services, such as IBM’s 

Watson, Amazon’s Alexa, and SKT’s Nugu, to our robot.”

 

Notably, IPL has optimized Android OS for use with robots. However, iJINI can accommodate other 

operating systems as well, including AI systems from global companies such as Google and IBM, 

or even IPL’s own system. In this way, IPL is jumping into the ecosystems of global companies while 

building up its own services at the same time. Moreover, the company plans to focus on increasing the 

value of its products, in terms of lifespan and utility, through periodic updates issued at least once a year.

 

 

Social Robot to Emerge as New Type of Home Appliance in the AI Era

 

Kim predicts that social robots will come to provide new services in the AI era, serving as a kind of central 

hub in the home. Although MIT’s “Zibo” and France’s “Buddy” robots have already been released, with 

Asus currently developing a robot called “Zenbo,” the social robot market is still in its infancy. In the first half 

of this year, IPL plans to launch a crowd-funding campaign for iJINI on Kickstarter as a way of testing the 

waters ahead of its entry into North America, Europe, and other markets around the world.

“People have enormous expectations for robots, but it will take a lot of time to meet those expectations,” 

said Kim. He added, “We aim to position social robots as essential home appliances. In the next two to 

three years, I believe that social robots will be the most popular product in the home appliance market.”

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

Our member in this article

Description Robotics Convergence Technology

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Launch of the Social Robot “iJINI”

 

IPL is the startup company behind the development of the “iJINI” social robot, which is a kind of robot 

that combines robotics technology with the Internet of Things (IoT) and speech recognition. Founded 

in March 2014, IPL aims to launch a series of social robots, beginning with the Chinese launch of iJINI 

in April and the Korean launch in June.

 

The iJINI robot resembles a puppy. Its head, which houses a camera, is able to look around, and its 

wheeled feet allow it move around freely. The robot is voice-controlled, and when asked questions 

about the weather, news, or user’s schedule, among others, it is able to provide relevant information. 

It also serves as a kind of home security guard. Upon detecting a sound when nobody is home, iJINI 

will identify the source of the sound and send a message to inform the owner. In addition, the robot 

can control other home appliances, following registration by the user, via remote control. For example, 

it can turn the lights on or off.

 

“iJINI can recognize simple commands spoken by the user, such as a command to show recent news, 

in response to which it will show news articles from various SNS sites,” said IPL CEO Kim Kyeung-wook.

He went on to explain, “Our robot can be considered as a kind of mobile remote control, as it is capable 

of controlling a wide range of devices, including TVs, lights, air conditioners, and boilers, via IR remote 

control, as long as they have been registered by the user .”

 

 

Secured a Deal with China Valued at USD 14 million

 

IPL’s early investment came from overseas rather than from investors in Korea. Following an investment 

of USD 2.2 million by Roobo in 2015, IPL signed a contract worth USD 14 million in November last year 

for the distribution of iJINI. This contract is the largest so far in the service robot industry. In addition, the 

company is in the process of finalizing distribution agreements with Thailand and Russia, and expects to 

find partners in Korea soon.

 

CEO Kim said, “It is impossible to survive by relying on the domestic market only, which is why we are 

striving to expand our business globally.” He continued, saying, “We were preparing to launch the iJINI 

robot early last year, but postponed its release in order to reinforce its artificial intelligence functions, and 

ended up developing a social robot instead.”

As the CEO of one of the few robotics startups in Korea, Kim emphasizes the need for greater investment 

in the robotics industry, saying, “Korea’s robot development companies are working in a very poor 

investment environment. The most common types of robots so far are cleaning robots, so active 

investment is sorely needed in other new growth areas.”

 

 

Born2Global Serves as a Stepping Stone for Overseas Expansion

 

Kim has been spending one-third of every year overseas, concentrating on the global expansion of 

his company. To assist in this effort, Born2Global has provided substantial support to IPL in various 

areas, including assistance finding prospective overseas investors and producing content for the 

company’s crowd-funding campaign.

 

Kim said, “With the help of Born2Global, I was able to find prospective overseas investors and buyers. 

The Centre offers excellent startup support programs that provide various kinds of assistance, including 

legal counsel.”

 

 

IPL Pursues Development of “Open Robot Platform”

 

When developing iJINI, IPL focused on allowing it to connect easily with other devices or platforms, based

on the belief that even those who are not very knowledgeable about hardware can still be developers and 

that flexibility was needed in order to ensure that the robot could be used in conjunction with various 

innovative technologies.

Kim explained, “My aim was to create an environment in which developers and companies unfamiliar with 

robots can easily develop robot-related content and apply diverse cloud-based AI services, such as IBM’s 

Watson, Amazon’s Alexa, and SKT’s Nugu, to our robot.”

 

Notably, IPL has optimized Android OS for use with robots. However, iJINI can accommodate other 

operating systems as well, including AI systems from global companies such as Google and IBM, 

or even IPL’s own system. In this way, IPL is jumping into the ecosystems of global companies while 

building up its own services at the same time. Moreover, the company plans to focus on increasing the 

value of its products, in terms of lifespan and utility, through periodic updates issued at least once a year.

 

 

Social Robot to Emerge as New Type of Home Appliance in the AI Era

 

Kim predicts that social robots will come to provide new services in the AI era, serving as a kind of central 

hub in the home. Although MIT’s “Zibo” and France’s “Buddy” robots have already been released, with 

Asus currently developing a robot called “Zenbo,” the social robot market is still in its infancy. In the first half 

of this year, IPL plans to launch a crowd-funding campaign for iJINI on Kickstarter as a way of testing the 

waters ahead of its entry into North America, Europe, and other markets around the world.

“People have enormous expectations for robots, but it will take a lot of time to meet those expectations,” 

said Kim. He added, “We aim to position social robots as essential home appliances. In the next two to 

three years, I believe that social robots will be the most popular product in the home appliance market.”

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

Our member in this article

Description Robotics Convergence Technology

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPL, a member company of the Born2Global Center, 

signed an agreement with Roobo on Nov. 11 for the distribution of its social robot “iJINI.” 

Under the agreement, IPL will provide iJINI and related AI services in China. 

IPL CEO Kim Kyeungwook said, 

“We will launch iJINI in China by March 2017, 

and this agreement guarantees a minimum sales value of 16 billion won ($13.5 million), 

the biggest amount for a single item exported by a domestic robot producer.”

 

iJINI is a robot based on a new concept that combines robotics, IoT, machine learning, and user experience design (UX). 

The robot recognizes voices and faces and offers a variety of services: 

home automation, home security, information, and entertainment. 

IPL is currently developing technology to connect its proprietary Android robot module 

and OS to the LTE network in order to offer LTE-enabled smart home robot services. 

In recognition of its design capability, 

the startup received the “Best Winner” award at the 2016 Red Dot Design Awards, 

one of the world’s top three design awards. 

“Based on its differentiated robotics technology and aesthetic design, 

IPL plans to explore numerous global markets, including China,” Kim added. 

(jshwang@heraldcorp.com)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161124000918

 

 

IPL, a member company of the Born2Global Center, 

signed an agreement with Roobo on Nov. 11 for the distribution of its social robot “iJINI.” 

Under the agreement, IPL will provide iJINI and related AI services in China. 

IPL CEO Kim Kyeungwook said, 

“We will launch iJINI in China by March 2017, 

and this agreement guarantees a minimum sales value of 16 billion won ($13.5 million), 

the biggest amount for a single item exported by a domestic robot producer.”

 

iJINI is a robot based on a new concept that combines robotics, IoT, machine learning, and user experience design (UX). 

The robot recognizes voices and faces and offers a variety of services: 

home automation, home security, information, and entertainment. 

IPL is currently developing technology to connect its proprietary Android robot module 

and OS to the LTE network in order to offer LTE-enabled smart home robot services. 

In recognition of its design capability, 

the startup received the “Best Winner” award at the 2016 Red Dot Design Awards, 

one of the world’s top three design awards. 

“Based on its differentiated robotics technology and aesthetic design, 

IPL plans to explore numerous global markets, including China,” Kim added. 

(jshwang@heraldcorp.com)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161124000918

 

 

IPL, a member company of the Born2Global Center, 

signed an agreement with Roobo on Nov. 11 for the distribution of its social robot “iJINI.” 

Under the agreement, IPL will provide iJINI and related AI services in China. 

IPL CEO Kim Kyeungwook said, 

“We will launch iJINI in China by March 2017, 

and this agreement guarantees a minimum sales value of 16 billion won ($13.5 million), 

the biggest amount for a single item exported by a domestic robot producer.”

 

iJINI is a robot based on a new concept that combines robotics, IoT, machine learning, and user experience design (UX). 

The robot recognizes voices and faces and offers a variety of services: 

home automation, home security, information, and entertainment. 

IPL is currently developing technology to connect its proprietary Android robot module 

and OS to the LTE network in order to offer LTE-enabled smart home robot services. 

In recognition of its design capability, 

the startup received the “Best Winner” award at the 2016 Red Dot Design Awards, 

one of the world’s top three design awards. 

“Based on its differentiated robotics technology and aesthetic design, 

IPL plans to explore numerous global markets, including China,” Kim added. 

(jshwang@heraldcorp.com)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161124000918

 

 

iJINi goes back to its charging station when its battery is getting low.

 

This is the fifth post in our series: Discover Korea’s Tech, 

where we will talk to a mix of Korean startup entrepreneurs 

who stood their own ground with their technology, 

in Korea’s economy notoriously dominated by gigantic companies. 

Stay tuned over the coming month as we talk to Korean entrepreneurs. 

You can follow our updates @technodechina for new stories in the series. 

 

Artificial Intelligence is getting more and more traction in the consumer space. 

We’ve already seen a few home robots coming out of China earlier this year. 

Now, Innovative Play Lab, based in Korea, claims to have a robot that, 

because of its power AI, is smarter than all the others.

 

iJINi, powered by IPL’sproprietray AI, can recognize voices and faces. 

The founder and CEO of IPL, Kyungwook Kim, has been developing robots for ten years, 

and he believes that hardware interfaces are will soon be based on voice, not touch.

 

iJINi can provide face-to-face calls and monitor home when the owner is outside. 

It can also assist in baby care by recognizing when the baby turns its body 

and by alerting parents when the baby cries. 

The robot connects to the pairing mobile application 

with all the data processed in the cloud. 

It was awarded the Red Dot Award in the product design category in July 2016.

 

IPL announced last week a distribution deal 

with China-based ROOBO worth 16 billion KRW (13.4 million USD). 

ROOBO has previously invested 2.2 million USD in IPL.

 

IPL will take on the design and development of robot system, 

while ROOBO will take on the robot’s distribution and AI service in China. 

ROOBO will also connect O2O services to iJINi 

so that owners can order food and call a cab through iJINi. 

The robot is schedule to be released in China, Thailand, and South Korea by early next year.

 

The Korean company has developed a robotics-optimized version of Android. 

They are aiming to provide a toolset 

for robotics developers to come up with content on top of the robot. 

The robotic API developing tool will be launched in the near future, the IPL says. 

The company ultimately aims to build a platform, providing a content ecosystem for robots.

 

iJINi’s main competitors are Jibo made in U.S. 

and Buddy, a companion robot for families, made by Blue Frog Robotics in France.

 

However, IPL is betting that their cloud AI will prove to be their competitive advantage 

with it’s adaptabililty and expansibility.

 

“AI robot needs AI cloud and a hardware platform 

that is compatible with the service it provides,” Mr. Kim says. 

“Our platform is compatible with other AI platforms.”

 

The social robot company aims to build a smart home robot, 

targeting home appliance market.

“People don’t feel that robotics are that necessary at the moment. 

That’s why we target home appliance market. 

 

We want to transfer information to the robot using the voice interface. 

We aim to connect the robot with other internet of things, 

and help users to control other home appliances with their voice,” he says.

 

IPL is supported by K-ICT Born2Global Center, 

a major Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science, 

ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).

 

Image Credit: IPL

 

 

http://technode.com/2016/11/23/meet-ai-pet-robot-responds-voice/

 

 

iJINi goes back to its charging station when its battery is getting low.

 

This is the fifth post in our series: Discover Korea’s Tech, 

where we will talk to a mix of Korean startup entrepreneurs 

who stood their own ground with their technology, 

in Korea’s economy notoriously dominated by gigantic companies. 

Stay tuned over the coming month as we talk to Korean entrepreneurs. 

You can follow our updates @technodechina for new stories in the series. 

 

Artificial Intelligence is getting more and more traction in the consumer space. 

We’ve already seen a few home robots coming out of China earlier this year. 

Now, Innovative Play Lab, based in Korea, claims to have a robot that, 

because of its power AI, is smarter than all the others.

 

iJINi, powered by IPL’sproprietray AI, can recognize voices and faces. 

The founder and CEO of IPL, Kyungwook Kim, has been developing robots for ten years, 

and he believes that hardware interfaces are will soon be based on voice, not touch.

 

iJINi can provide face-to-face calls and monitor home when the owner is outside. 

It can also assist in baby care by recognizing when the baby turns its body 

and by alerting parents when the baby cries. 

The robot connects to the pairing mobile application 

with all the data processed in the cloud. 

It was awarded the Red Dot Award in the product design category in July 2016.

 

IPL announced last week a distribution deal 

with China-based ROOBO worth 16 billion KRW (13.4 million USD). 

ROOBO has previously invested 2.2 million USD in IPL.

 

IPL will take on the design and development of robot system, 

while ROOBO will take on the robot’s distribution and AI service in China. 

ROOBO will also connect O2O services to iJINi 

so that owners can order food and call a cab through iJINi. 

The robot is schedule to be released in China, Thailand, and South Korea by early next year.

 

The Korean company has developed a robotics-optimized version of Android. 

They are aiming to provide a toolset 

for robotics developers to come up with content on top of the robot. 

The robotic API developing tool will be launched in the near future, the IPL says. 

The company ultimately aims to build a platform, providing a content ecosystem for robots.

 

iJINi’s main competitors are Jibo made in U.S. 

and Buddy, a companion robot for families, made by Blue Frog Robotics in France.

 

However, IPL is betting that their cloud AI will prove to be their competitive advantage 

with it’s adaptabililty and expansibility.

 

“AI robot needs AI cloud and a hardware platform 

that is compatible with the service it provides,” Mr. Kim says. 

“Our platform is compatible with other AI platforms.”

 

The social robot company aims to build a smart home robot, 

targeting home appliance market.

“People don’t feel that robotics are that necessary at the moment. 

That’s why we target home appliance market. 

 

We want to transfer information to the robot using the voice interface. 

We aim to connect the robot with other internet of things, 

and help users to control other home appliances with their voice,” he says.

 

IPL is supported by K-ICT Born2Global Center, 

a major Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science, 

ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).

 

Image Credit: IPL

 

 

http://technode.com/2016/11/23/meet-ai-pet-robot-responds-voice/