Gosung Engineering, a robot systems integration (SI) solutions company, said on Jan. 15 it signed an MOU with KGA, a battery electrode-process specialist, to develop a cover-integrated battery for AI drones.

Under the agreement, the companies will combine KGA’s expandable power solution under development with a drone case cover. They will cooperate on drone product R&D, prototype production and performance verification, product commercialisation, overseas marketing, and participation in research projects by governments and public institutions.

KGA’s moulded battery has a new form factor that can increase battery capacity. It can be applied across areas including mobility, humanoid robots and AMR/AGV.

Gosung Engineering first unveiled its AI drone to the general public at the Korea Electronics Show (KES) in October. It demonstrated fully autonomous flight that recognises objects using only a vision camera without GPS signals and uses self-generated coordinates.

KGA CEO Oktae Kim said the agreement expanded the company’s platform for applying its expandable power solution business beyond humanoid robots to future mobility. He said AI drones can be used across areas including defence, logistics and distribution, and stable revenue is expected to be secured in the future.

Gosung Engineering CEO Changshin Choi said small and midsize drones typically limit battery capacity to account for size and weight, keeping operating time at around 20 minutes. He said the issue has been cited as a chronic challenge in the industry, but the two companies will work together to overcome it and introduce a high-performance product.

Separately, Gosung Engineering raised a Series A investment worth 15 billion won from Timefolio Asset Management in 2023. It is preparing for an IPO after selecting Samsung Securities as lead manager in 2024 and plans to list on the KOSDAQ market by 2027.