KAPEX

KAPEX is a pioneering AI-powered humanoid robot developed through a strategic collaboration between LG Electronics, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and LG AI Research. Announced on September 30, 2025, KAPEX represents South Korea's ambitious entry into the global humanoid robotics race, aiming to challenge U.S. and Chinese dominance by creating a 'Korean-style' platform for Physical AI. The robot integrates advanced bipedal mobility, dexterous tactile hands, and LG's proprietary EXAONE Vision-Language Model (VLM) to enable real-world task performance alongside humans in home, industrial, logistics, manufacturing, and research environments. Architecturally, KAPEX features a full-body design with an estimated 40-50 degrees of freedom (DOF), including 20 DOF per hand for precise manipulation. Standing at 175 cm tall and weighing 65 kg, it achieves a maximum speed of 4.5 km/h (walking speed 3.5 km/h) with a runtime of 3 hours per charge. Its structure employs aluminum/high-strength alloys with composite covers, high-output full-body actuators, high-torque gearing, and IP20 ingress protection. The hands are equipped with 5 fingers each and multi-tactile sensing mimicking human touch, enabling delicate operations. Vision systems likely include stereo RGB cameras, depth sensors, and environmental sensors feeding into the EXAONE VLM for perception. The core 'robot brain' is LG AI Research's EXAONE VLM, a hyper-scale multimodal AI model that processes visual inputs, language instructions, and reinforcement learning data. This allows KAPEX to interpret complex environments, understand human commands, adapt to novel situations without extensive reprogramming, and learn autonomously through experience. KIST contributes foundational humanoid tech, including autonomous walking in dynamic spaces and human-level physical capabilities, while LG Electronics handles productization, mass-production, and global scaling, potentially leveraging LG Innotek for sensors. KAPEX emphasizes low-latency response (250-450 ms glass-to-action), onboard high-performance GPU/CPU compute, custom robotics OS with AI middleware, and connectivity via Ethernet/Wi-Fi. Safety for human interaction is prioritized. As a prototype, initial demos focused on mobility and manipulation were slated for November 2025, with field demonstrations and commercialization targeted within four years. No widespread deployments have occurred yet; however, it aligns with South Korea's K-Humanoid Alliance and national robotics strategy. Early teasers showcase steady gait, dexterous handling, and AI-driven adaptability, positioning KAPEX for versatile applications like home assistance and factory automation. This fusion of Korean actuators, AI, and manufacturing prowess aims to establish KAPEX as a flexible, evolvable platform for future Physical AI advancements.