Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Physical AI Convergence Technology Project Group (hereinafter the Project Group) announced on the 13th that National Assembly member Jeong Dong-young visited JBNU Creative Building 2 Physical AI Demonstration Lab and DH Otorid to review the results of the 2025 Physical AI preliminary verification (PoC) project and to discuss plans for advancing the Jeonbuk AX main project.

This visit was arranged to inspect on site the planned 2026 budget allocation and the readiness for implementing the Jeonbuk AX main project, which is targeted to begin in April 2026, and to collect related opinions. Attendees included Assemblyman Jeong Dong-young (Minister of Unification), the Ministry of Science and ICT, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), JBNU, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Sungkyunkwan University, CAMTIC Comprehensive Technology Institute, and the lawmaker's office policy team, among others.

Assemblyman Jeong Dong-young (Minister of Unification) stated, "Physical AI is a core technology that will determine manufacturing competitiveness," and added, "I will spare no policy support so that Jeonbuk can establish itself as a leading hub for industrial AX transformation."

The Project Group shared the outcomes of the 2025 Physical AI preliminary verification PoC project. The project was conducted over five months from August to December 2025. Led by JBNU, it involved the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Sungkyunkwan University, CAMTIC Comprehensive Technology Institute, and Hyundai Motor Company. Demonstration partners included DH Otorid, Donghae Metal, and Daeseung Precision. Through the project, JBNU established a manufacturing demonstration lab and KAIST established a logistics demonstration lab. The three participating demonstration companies conducted on-site trials applying Physical AI technologies.

JBNU's Creative Building 2 demonstration lab was established with a total area of 846 square meters and received KRW 5.15 billion in national funding. The space provides demonstration infrastructure (P‑Zone and I‑Zone) that goes beyond ordinary research facilities, enabling simultaneous testing and verification of production scenarios under conditions equivalent to actual factories. The P‑Zone is a production demonstration area that integrates all processes by linking robots and digital twins with an MES, and verifies multi‑product, small‑volume production in real environments. The I‑Zone is an innovation research space that uses various robots and AI technologies to validate learning, Sim‑to‑Real transfer, and multi‑robot collaboration in real environments.

The Project Group also outlined plans for the "Jeonbuk AX main project." The main project is an R&D program to be carried out from 2026 to 2030. It envisions developing a Physical AI‑based heterogeneous robot collaborative intelligence software platform solution specialized for manufacturing plants to secure core Physical AI technologies and to pursue the realization of AI Dark Factory concepts. The Group also introduced plans for a total project budget of KRW 1 trillion and the inclusion of KRW 76.7 billion in national funding for 2026.

The event began at 10:00 AM with a site visit to DH Otorid, followed by a move to JBNU's demonstration lab where a welcome address, opening remarks, technical presentations, performance reports, and project plan presentations were held, followed by demonstration trials and a luncheon meeting.

In the demonstrations, the P‑Zone showcased a Physical AI production demonstration that integrated all processes from AMR material transport to robot machining, assembly, vision inspection, and digital twin‑based MES integration. The I‑Zone demonstrated teleoperation and motion‑capture‑based data collection, multimodal and LLM‑based task execution, Sim‑to‑Real transfer, and validation of multi‑robot collaboration.

JBNU President Yang O‑bong said, "Jeonbuk National University will lead the AX transformation of the regional manufacturing industry based on field‑oriented capabilities that can conduct R&D and demonstrations simultaneously in the Physical AI field," and added, "Through close cooperation with the government, industry, and research institutes, the university will spare no institutional support to ensure Jeonbuk becomes a hub for Physical AI demonstration and dissemination."

Project Group Director Kim Sun-tae (Department of Software Engineering, JBNU) stated, "Ahead of the launch of the Jeonbuk AX main project, we will further advance technology development based on demonstrations and the system for field deployment," adding, "We will strengthen collaboration among industry, academia, research institutes, and government to drive productivity, safety, and quality innovations at manufacturing sites."