Persona AI makes its case for humanoids in Korean shipyards and steel mills

Persona AI believes heavy industry, not car assembly, is where humanoid robots will matter most, and it sees South Korea as the place to prove it. Michael Perry, the company’s head of commercial strategy, made that case to The Korea Herald at Humanoid Summit Seoul, where he gave a keynote.

The Houston company is working with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HD Hyundai Robotics on a bipedal prototype due to be deployed this year. The first test is meant to show that a humanoid can move through an unstructured shipyard, hold a standard welding torch and lay consistent welds that meet production standards. For field tests in 2027, the goal is autonomous walking combined with human teleoperation.

Posco has invested $3 million in Persona AI as an equity shareholder. The two are running a proof of concept on how several robots, using specialized rigging tools, could work together to move steel coils weighing 20 to 40 tons.

Perry said Persona AI’s Gen 1 robot uses high-torque, precisely controlled motors for handling tools and is built for harsh outdoor conditions with swappable sensor payloads. He described the company’s approach as shared autonomy, with robots working alongside people rather than replacing them.