Construction robotics startup GoleRobotics has completed a pilot program automating material logistics at Samsung Electronics' semiconductor fab construction site in Pyeongtaek. The trial demonstrated that autonomous robots could transport heavy materials across a large-scale fab construction site--including unmanned operation during nighttime and early morning hours--earning recognition for the company's technical capabilities.
GoleRobotics announced on July 13 that it deployed two GT-3 autonomous transport robots, one EVW-1 unit, and 10 roll containers at Samsung's Pyeongtaek Fab 4 (P4) construction site over roughly a month, from April to May.
The robots picked up construction materials on the first floor and used the building's elevators to move between floors two through five. After dropping off materials on a target floor, each robot collected waste materials from that floor and returned to a designated disposal area on the ground floor.
What set this trial apart from typical autonomous robot deployments--which are usually limited to horizontal movement on a single floor--was the use of elevators to automate material flow across multiple floors. The GT-3 robots carried a variety of materials, including ducts, insulation, and waste, with a maximum payload of 1.2 tons. To improve on-site safety, the robots were equipped with warning alarms and emergency stop functions that activate when workers or other obstacles enter their path.
The pilot also accounted for the strict security requirements of semiconductor fab construction sites. GoleRobotics configured the robots' cameras to avoid capturing or learning from surrounding equipment or spaces, instead having them follow designated material-transport lanes marked on the floor. The company also used an offline wireless access point setup with no internet connection, ensuring that on-site data could not be transmitted externally.
The unmanned trials were conducted specifically during nighttime and early morning hours. Since daytime hours tend to see heavy elevator use from both worker movement and material transport, shifting material transport to nighttime helps reduce elevator wait times and ease bottlenecks on site.
“Given how critical security is at semiconductor fab construction sites, we applied a method that allows the robots to transport heavy materials without capturing or learning from their surroundings,” said Lee Dong-min, CEO of GoleRobotics. “Our goal is to reduce elevator bottlenecks through automated nighttime material transport, while improving both worker safety and overall site efficiency.”
Founded in August 2023, GoleRobotics is a construction robotics startup working to replace labor-intensive material transport tasks with robots, enabling round-the-clock site operations. Rather than focusing on humanoid-style dexterous manipulation for small objects, the company has concentrated on developing technology to recognize, grip, and transport heavy materials weighing over a ton--the kind actually used on real construction sites.
