Naver Labs
NAVER LABS is the robotics and AI research company of South Korea's Naver, based in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. It began in 2013 as Naver's research centre and became a separate company in 2017, and it is led by chief executive Seok Sang-ok. NAVER LABS works on autonomous driving, robotics, AI and mapping, and designed Naver 1784, a robot-friendly smart office building. Its best-known robot is AMBIDEX, a two-armed robot arm unveiled in 2017 with Korea University of Technology and Education, developed with Professor Yong-Jae Kim. AMBIDEX uses cable-driven mechanisms that keep the heavy motors in the shoulder and body, so its arms are lighter than a human arm, safe to interact with and still precise. NAVER LABS aims for robots that work safely with people at home and in buildings. AMBIDEX is a research robot rather than a commercial product, and it is listed as a humanoid-type platform.
π‘Notable Achievement: NAVER LABS unveiled AMBIDEX, a lightweight cable-driven two-arm robot developed with KOREATECH, in 2017.
What Does Naver Labs Do?
NAVER LABS is the robotics and AI research company of Naver in Seongnam, South Korea, best known for AMBIDEX, a cable-driven robot arm designed to be safe around people.
βSafe, lightweight robot arms from a Korean AI company.β
Cable-Driven Arms
Heavy motors sit in the shoulder and body so the arms are lighter than a human arm.
Safe Interaction
Designed for people to work with safely, including at home.
Research Partners
Developed with KOREATECH and Professor Yong-Jae Kim.
What Can Naver Labs Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Safe, precise two-arm manipulation for research.
Cable-Driven Manipulation
Industrial-level precision with light, safe arms.
Human-Safe Interaction
Low-inertia arms designed for contact with people.
Naver Labs Robots
Showing 1 Humanoid Robots of 1 total model
Ambidex Robot
Manufactured by Naver Labs
Ambidex is a breakthrough lightweight, cable-driven humanoid robot platform developed by Naver Labs in collaboration with Korea University of Technology and Education (KOREATECH). By consolidating heavy electric motors and gearboxes near the shoulder and base rather than at individual joints, Ambidex reduces arm mass to less than that of a biological human arm (wrist/gripper weigh under 350 grams combined), vastly lowering mechanical inertia. Equipped with flexible tendon-driven actuation, Ambidex is inherently compliant and safe for direct human interaction. As the worldβs first 5G 'brainless' robot system, high-load AI processing and whole-body motion generation are offloaded to ultra-low-latency 5G cloud servers, allowing the robot to execute high-speed athletic tasks like table tennis and precision assembly.
Naver Labs Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
AMBIDEX cable-driven robot arm unveiled
NAVER LABS presents AMBIDEX, a lightweight cable-driven robot arm developed with KOREATECH, at its DEVIEW conference.
Source: naverlabs.com
Naver Labs Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes Naver Labs Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- βLarge AI parent company.
- βDistinctive arm design.
Core Strategic Focus
Robot-friendly buildings and safe manipulation research.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- β’AMBIDEX is a research robot, not sold commercially.
- β’No published price.
Naver Labs vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Actuation Architecture
- AMBIDEX (Naver)
- Tendon-Driven Cable Transmission
- Reachy 2 (Pollen)
- Orbita Spherical & Harmonic
- T-HR3 (Toyota)
- Torque-Servo Actuators
- Agile ONE
- Direct Torque Control
Arm Weight & Inertia
- AMBIDEX (Naver)
- < 3 kg (Ultra-Low)
- Reachy 2 (Pollen)
- ~8 kg per arm
- T-HR3 (Toyota)
- ~15 kg per arm
- Agile ONE
- ~12 kg per arm
Computing Paradigm
- AMBIDEX (Naver)
- 5G Cloud-Brain (ARC)
- Reachy 2 (Pollen)
- Onboard Edge Computer
- T-HR3 (Toyota)
- Dedicated Base Station
- Agile ONE
- Distributed Onboard DSP
Primary Focus
- AMBIDEX (Naver)
- Safe Office & Social HRI
- Reachy 2 (Pollen)
- Open-Source AI Research
- T-HR3 (Toyota)
- Teleoperated Avatar
- Agile ONE
- Industrial Precision Assembly
| Strategic Dimension | AMBIDEX (Naver) | Reachy 2 (Pollen) | T-HR3 (Toyota) | Agile ONE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuation Architecture | Tendon-Driven Cable Transmission | Orbita Spherical & Harmonic | Torque-Servo Actuators | Direct Torque Control |
| Arm Weight & Inertia | < 3 kg (Ultra-Low) | ~8 kg per arm | ~15 kg per arm | ~12 kg per arm |
| Computing Paradigm | 5G Cloud-Brain (ARC) | Onboard Edge Computer | Dedicated Base Station | Distributed Onboard DSP |
| Primary Focus | Safe Office & Social HRI | Open-Source AI Research | Teleoperated Avatar | Industrial Precision Assembly |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
Naver
NAVER LABS began as Naver's research centre and became a separate company in 2017.
Ownership & Acquisition History
NAVER LABS began as Naver's research centre and became a separate company in 2017.
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
Naver Labs Headquarters
HQSeongnam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about Naver Labs
What is NAVER LABS?
NAVER LABS is the robotics and AI research company of Naver, based in Seongnam, South Korea. It became a separate company in 2017 and works on robotics, autonomous driving, AI and mapping.
What is AMBIDEX?
AMBIDEX is NAVER LABS' two-armed robot with cable-driven mechanisms. The heavy motors sit in the shoulder and body, which makes the arms lighter than a human arm and safe to work near.
How does the AMBIDEX arm work?
AMBIDEX moves its arms with wires, or cables, from actuators placed in the shoulder and body. This keeps the limbs light while giving industrial-robot-level control and precision, and makes contact with people safe.
Who leads NAVER LABS?
NAVER LABS is led by chief executive Seok Sang-ok, a former Samsung Electronics engineer who studied at MIT and who oversaw the design of the Naver 1784 smart building.
Who developed AMBIDEX?
AMBIDEX came from long-term collaboration between NAVER LABS and Korea University of Technology and Education, working with Professor Yong-Jae Kim, an expert in robot arm mechanism design.
Can you buy an AMBIDEX robot?
No. AMBIDEX is a research robot from NAVER LABS and is not sold as a commercial product. NAVER LABS has not published a price for it.
What is AMBIDEX designed for?
NAVER LABS designed AMBIDEX to work safely, flexibly and precisely with people, including in home environments, in contrast with the heavy, caged arms typical of factory robots.
What is Naver 1784?
Naver 1784 is a robot-friendly smart office building in Seongnam that NAVER LABS helped design, and it serves as a real-world testing ground for service robots working alongside employees.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official Naver Labs datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.