The landmark trial took place Thursday at a naval training facility in Changwon, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Seoul. The experiment featured Pibot, a humanoid robot being developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
According to the Navy, the test marked the first time a humanoid robot replaced a sailor to perform bridge helm duties aboard a naval vessel.
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During the trial, Pibot successfully carried out steering commands under a variety of simulated operating conditions, including narrow waterways, rough weather and nighttime navigation, demonstrating its potential to assist in complex maritime missions.
The Navy said the experiment is part of a broader effort to develop a maritime human-machine teaming system and build a “smart military” capable of adapting to South Korea’s declining number of military personnel.
Officials plan to use the results to identify additional shipboard tasks that can be handled by robots, helping reduce sailors’ workloads and improve operational efficiency.
Pibot has been under development since 2022 as part of an initiative led by the Agency for Defense Development. South Korea’s state arms procurement agency has invested approximately 5.7 billion won ($3.8 million) in the project as the country accelerates efforts to modernize its armed forces through advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.
