Naver D2SF said on Monday it made new investments in physical artificial intelligence (AI) startups Chameleon and Anywhere Robotics.

The two companies are robot startups focused on worksites with high demand for automation. Naver D2SF said it decided to invest because it noted they are teams that can prove the value of physical AI from product and business perspectives.

Chameleon is developing a robot specialised in hotel housekeeping work in North America. Chameleon designed a humanoid robot that carries out tasks ranging from bathroom cleaning to overall housekeeping work. Its strength is that it can be deployed on site without being constrained by networks or hotel environments. It has secured potential customers in the United States and China, and plans to develop a prototype specialised in bathroom cleaning in the second quarter of this year to begin field tests, then sequentially expand tasks to overall housekeeping work.

Anywhere Robotics developed a robot that automatically performs high-intensity work at logistics sites. Anywhere Robotics said it implemented performance that can replace high-intensity work by optimising work speed and scope through training based on real data. It also designed hardware so a single robot can perform various tasks, providing strong scalability. It is working with global robot companies FANUC and Saddle Creek and has proven product competitiveness in the field.

Yang Sang-hwan (양상환), head of Naver D2SF, said Chameleon and Anywhere Robotics are robot startups focused on worksites with high demand for automation and will show the value of physical AI by solving real on-site problems. He said he expects them to quickly accumulate successful experiences and know-how using the strengths of startups and create competitive advantages in each industry.