Hwaseong City's "MARS 2026" — Robots Welcome Visitors and Handle VIP Protocol

Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun) will showcase a variety of robots incorporating Physical AI technology at the AI Expo "MARS 2026," to be held over four days from November 3 to 5 at COEX (Hall D and Auditorium) in Seoul.

At the entrance of the "MARS 2026" exhibition hall, the bionic robot 'UWORLD U1 Pro,' which resembles a human face, will greet visitors.

The robot is equipped with 33 artificial tendons that move like human facial muscles, 19 facial joints that create facial expressions, and precision actuators (linear servo modules) that move in 0.06mm increments, precisely reproducing human facial expressions including subtle changes at the corners of the mouth.

The bionic robot, manufactured by global AI humanoid company UBTECH, is being positioned at the entrance of a large-scale municipal expo to greet visitors for the first time in the nation.

The robots are equipped with 'Resonance-LM,' an emotional large language model that reads the emotions of others. Visitors can make eye contact with the robots at the photo zone at the entrance, engage in conversation, and hold their hands to experience emotion-interactive robots.

At 11 a.m. on November 3, the opening ceremony of "MARS 2026" will be held in the COEX Auditorium, where the humanoid robot 'Walker C1' will take center stage and perform a graceful and flawless 'ballet performance.'

In cooperation with world-leading robotics companies, humanoid robots specialized in various fields will be positioned throughout the exhibition hall and at booths, showcasing a Physical AI robot demonstration stage that vividly displays robots working in real-world environments.

The logistics robot 'Cruzr Y1' will precisely pick up boxes with both arms and demonstrate automated loading and unloading, while the service robot 'Walker DEX' will scan barcodes to manage inventory and organize items. The autonomous mobile robot 'Walker C1' will serve as a Korean-language docent in the exhibition area.

There are also robots responsible for protocol duties. The humanoid robot 'LUNA' will handle VIP protocol for major domestic and international guests throughout the event duration, with all eyes on whether it will perform flawlessly.

Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun of Hwaseong Special City stated, "Robots, as Physical AI, are the core drivers of innovation in the AI ecosystem," and added, "This 'MARS 2026' will be a meaningful venue where citizens make eye contact with real robots and interact with them, demonstrating with tangible technology an 'AI CITY IN ACTION.'"