“Hello, I’m Robo Manager, the first robot assistant of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Nice to meet you.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is rolling out the robot assistant called Robo Manager, which provides assistance for tasks such as delivering documents and guiding visitors, in Seoul City Hall as a testbed starting this month.

The introduction of this state-of-the-art robotics technology is expected to help efficiently process administrative tasks and increase the convenience of citizens who visit to inquire about civil affairs.

Currently, commercial application of robotics technology is focused on “last mile” delivery with restricted movement, such as from the restaurant to just the building entrance, but Robo Manager in Seoul City Hall is equipped with advanced technology that allows free movement to ride the elevator on its own and roam around from the lobby to the 11th floor.

Robo Manager will be serviced from 10 AM to 6 PM. Its morning tasks involve delivering documents between departments, which is available via mobile app. Its afternoon tasks involve guiding visitors and sorting mail.

Robo Manager, which goes beyond being just a static “welcome” robot, is the first-ever robot assistant service to be available in any public office in the country. By expanding the application of the private sector’s robotics technology to public administration, it is expected to serve as an opportunity to increase the efficiency of public administration by applying cutting-edge technology from the private sector to the public sector.