E8 partners with Sejong University to develop construction robots, expanding physical AI applications

[Financial News] E8 (pronounced E-eight) announced on the 23rd that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on industry-academic cooperation with Sejong University to develop construction robot technologies. The company plans to expand the fields of application for its physical AI business by integrating digital twin and ontology AI technologies into construction robots.
The agreement was established to ensure the smooth implementation of the “Technology Development Project for the Design and Integrated Management of Multipurpose Construction Work Robots to Innovate Productivity in Apartment Construction.” The government-funded R&D project, supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, is worth a total of KRW 28 billion, with Sejong University serving as the lead institution. Its goal is to design multipurpose work robots for deployment at apartment construction sites and develop technologies to manage multiple robots in an integrated manner by 2030.
Under the agreement, the two institutions will pursue △the exchange of academic and technical information △technology validation based on field demonstrations and the joint operation of R&D personnel △joint R&D and the use of research outcomes △technology commercialization and the identification of cooperative projects. The agreement will remain in effect until the R&D period for the project ends.
E8 plans to take part in the project using its digital twin and ontology AI technologies. Its main areas of cooperation with Sejong University will be work simulation and integrated management technologies for construction work robots. The company will validate work routes and processes in a virtual environment before robots are deployed at actual sites, then use field data to build a system that manages the operations of multiple robots on a single screen after deployment.
Construction sites are a field where robots are needed to address the aging of skilled workers and safety accidents. Since working conditions and spatial layouts vary from site to site, it is important to recreate actual environments in virtual spaces and verify work feasibility and potential hazards before introducing robots. E8 plans to use its technologies to connect this advance validation with on-site operations.
An industry source said, “Because workspaces and processes at construction sites keep changing, it is important not only to consider the individual performance of robots but also to have technologies that validate tasks against site conditions and manage multiple pieces of equipment together.” The source added, “Preliminary simulations using digital twins and management based on field data can help lay the foundation for greater use of construction robots.”
E8 has an integrated platform lineup that includes the digital twin platform “NDX Pro” and the physics-based simulation solution “NFLOW Ai.” At an extraordinary general meeting in September, the company added AI and data center businesses to its corporate purposes as it pursued the expansion of its physical AI business.
An E8 representative said, “For robots to perform their intended roles on site, they need to undergo sufficient validation in a virtual space that recreates the actual site.” The representative added, “By combining Sejong University’s robotics research capabilities with E8’s digital twin and ontology AI technologies, we will develop technologies that can improve both productivity and safety at construction sites.”
Meanwhile, E8 is proceeding with the 5-for-1 share consolidation approved at its extraordinary general meeting on September 28.

[email protected] Choi Doo-seon Reporter