Kakao Mobility與南韓陸軍合作開發無人裝備AI控制系統

Kakao Mobility will work with the Republic of Korea Army to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technology for integrated control of drones, robots and unmanned ground vehicles. The company plans to apply dispatch and route-optimization technologies developed for its taxi and logistics services to military operations.

Kakao Mobility said on November 3 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Army at Army Headquarters in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, to cooperate on advanced technologies, including integrated control systems for manned-unmanned combined combat operations. Attendees included Kakao Mobility Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ryu Geung-seon and Army Headquarters Policy Director Maj. Gen. Lee Kyung-jin.

The agreement is linked to the Army's Army TIGER+ initiative, which aims to bring civilian AI technologies into military operations. The two sides plan to combine Kakao Mobility's platform management expertise with Army operational data to jointly research and test AI-based control systems tailored to defense applications.

The central objective is to develop technology that can operate multiple types of unmanned vehicles through a single system. Kakao Mobility plans to adapt its real-time route planning, mobility demand forecasting, distributed control of multiple vehicles, and autonomous driving and robotics management technologies for military environments.

The partnership will particularly support the development of a one-to-many operating model in which a single operator manages multiple unmanned systems. Over the longer term, the companies aim to establish the foundation for a defense mobility operating system (OS) capable of coordinating and controlling drones, robots and other unmanned assets deployed on the battlefield.

To support the initiative, the two sides will establish testing environments around the Army's AI Transformation (AX) hubs in Pangyo and Daejeon and jointly research an integrated control platform tailored to military requirements.

The partnership also covers the development of military dispatch systems and dedicated applications. The two sides plan to test ways to improve the operational efficiency of military vehicles and transport assets using Kakao Mobility's AI-powered dispatch and route-optimization technologies, as well as its transportation management system (TMS).

Kakao Mobility has recently been expanding its business into defense AI. On October 6, it signed an MOU with Korea University's C5ISRT Convergence Research Institute to cooperate on defense AI research and business development. The agreement covered efforts to establish a common standardized defense platform for manned-unmanned integrated control systems and train specialized AI personnel.

Kakao Mobility entered the robotics control business in 2024 with the launch of its robot delivery service, BRING. In March this year, it began operating an autonomous driving service in Seoul's Gangnam district during late-night hours using its proprietary technology. In August, it increased the number of operating vehicles to six from two as it continued testing autonomous driving capabilities in real-world road conditions.

The Army is also accelerating efforts to introduce manned-unmanned combined combat systems. On October 14, it conducted the "Army TIGER+ Future Warfare Integrated Combat Exercise" at the Yangpyeong Comprehensive Training Center in Gyeonggi Province, demonstrating combat systems incorporating reconnaissance drones, loitering attack drones, multipurpose unmanned ground vehicles and quadruped robots.

The Army aims to expand manned-unmanned combined combat systems across all units by 2040 and is conducting technology demonstrations toward that goal. The latest agreement is part of efforts to incorporate civilian mobility platform technologies into this military transformation.