South Korean robotics company RhinOS Inc. inked a strategic alliance with Chinese and Japanese robotics companies to enter the artificial intelligence (AI) robot market.

RhinOS announced on Wednesday that it recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement with YIJIAHE Technology, a Chinese robotics company, to pursue opportunities in the AI robot market. YIJIAHE, founded in 1999, was the first company in the commercial robot industry in China to be listed on the stock market. Specializing in medical and industrial robots, it also owns BIB Robotics, a dedicated cleaning robot company.

YIJIAHE also entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Seiko Electric in Japan on March 6th, 2024. Seiko Electric, founded in 1921 in Kyushu, Japan, operates eight subsidiaries worldwide, including in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Under the agreement, RhinOS and YIJIAHE will jointly develop and operate software for an AI cleaning robot cloud control platform tailored to Korean customers. Leveraging RhinOS’s software development capabilities, the partnership aims to provide Korean-style solutions and services for the AI cleaning robots developed by YIJIAHE.

RhinOS and YIJIAHE have decided to initially launch commercial robot cleaners, the ‘J30’ and premium all-in-one cleaning robot ‘J40.’ The J30 offers four modes: sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and a standard cleaning mode. It can identify various floor materials, such as marble, wood, PVC, vinyl, ceramic, and carpets, while boasting powerful vacuum suction with dual side brushes and a roller brush to collect dust. The J40, an all-in-one cleaning robot, automatically switches between five cleaning modes, including mopping, depending on the situation. Equipped with AI-based contamination distribution analysis, it can preemptively analyze contamination, determine the optimal cleaning cycle and time, and even report inaccessible contaminated areas.

RhinOS plans to open a dedicated AI call center soon and improve after-sales service with a two-year warranty for some models. It is also preparing to launch outdoor AI cleaning robots in the second half of 2024.

By Kim Si-gyun and Minu Kim

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