Physical AI specialist NC AI said on Wednesday it formed a consortium with LG Electronics and was selected as an implementing organisation for the humanoid segment of the "K-on-device AI semiconductor technology development project" promoted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT).

The project aims to develop autonomous humanoid technology that can perform various tasks in everyday spaces using domestically made on-device AI semiconductors.

NC AI will be responsible for a "Human-to-Robot Retargeting" pipeline that converts human movements to match a robot's body structure and joint constraints, and for building motion data for training.

Retargeting is a technology that converts human movement into actions a robot can actually perform by accounting for differences in body proportions, joint range of motion and balance conditions between humans and robots.

NC AI plans to build motion data for humanoid training using a digital twin environment and use it to develop whole-body control technology.

The consortium will link robot hardware from participating organisations including LG Electronics with AI models and data and domestically made on-device AI semiconductors to develop real-time motion control technology for humanoids.

The developed technology aims to be applied to humanoids that perform tasks such as tidying and carrying objects and manipulating tools in unstructured spaces such as homes.

Lee Yeon-soo (이연수), NC AI's CEO, said the company will apply its motion control technology and data-building capabilities to autonomous humanoid motion technology and cooperate with LG Electronics and other participants to develop humanoid technology based on domestically made on-device AI semiconductors.