84 teams from 32 universities nationwide participated… 7 teams advanced to the finals on the 9th, beating the 12-to-1 competition rate
Competed in creative problem-solving skills in two fields: autonomous quadruped robots and multi-joint collaborative robots… A total of 40 million won in prize money was awarded to the winning team
CTO Kim Ki-soo said, “We will actively introduce AI and robotics technologies into the group’s core businesses to enhance manufacturing competitiveness and contribute to talent development.”
SEOUL, South Korea — September 10, 2025 — On the 9th, POSCO Holdings held the ‘Industrial AI-Robot Competition’ to solve industrial problems using AI-based robot systems.
POSCO Holdings hosted this inaugural event to enhance understanding of POSCO Group’s core businesses and showcase the limitless potential of manufacturing AI and industrial robotics technologies for worker safety.
The competition, which began on May 26th for undergraduate and graduate students, saw the participation of 84 teams from 32 universities nationwide. The seven teams that advanced to the finals, beating a 12-to-1 odds, showcased their creative problem-solving skills in the fields of multi-joint collaborative robots and quadruped robots. All teams that advanced to the finals were provided with expert mentoring and opportunities to participate in related workshops.
First, the four teams participating in the Multi-Joint Collaborative Robot Challenge were tasked with picking up defective blocks modeled after secondary battery material heat treatment containers and replacing them with healthy ones. In this challenge, the team that quickly replaced the defective blocks with healthy ones received high scores.
The next challenge, a quadruped robot autonomous walking challenge, saw three teams compete in the fastest time possible on a track modeled after steel mill facility inspection sections, including stairs and narrow sections. The second challenge focused on evaluating the robots’ ability to quickly and safely transport products and accurately recognize obstacles.
All finalists, including Sungkyunkwan University’s Agile Team (quadruped robot walking) and Seoul City University’s UOS Robotics: ARM Team (multi-joint collaborative robot), who won the grand prize that day, received the POSCO Group Chairman’s Award and a total of 40 million won in prize money. Teams will also receive benefits such as research projects linked to POSCO Holdings and additional points for POSCO DX recruitment.
Son Young-woo, a student at Sungkyunkwan University, said in his acceptance speech, “The entire process of designing an autonomous robot walking solution using AI and then using it to perform precise missions was fascinating. It was a valuable experience that will help me continue my research on industrial robotics.”
Kim Ki-soo, CTO of POSCO Holdings, said, “I expect this competition to be an opportunity to experience the future of Korea’s manufacturing industry, centered around AI and robots,” and emphasized, “We will actively introduce AI and robot technologies to the steel and secondary battery materials industries to elevate the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry to the next level and contribute to nurturing talent.”
POSCO Group is expanding the application of AI and robotics technologies to its operations, including deploying quadruped robots to high-risk tasks at its steelworks. This allows workers to focus on their core tasks in a safer environment. POSCO Group plans to accelerate the implementation of intelligent factories by securing unique solutions and technological competitiveness.
Source: POSCO