KIST's Outdoor-Friendly Modular Robotic Furniture 'OnOBOT' wins grand prize at the International Robot Design Competition
Grand Prize Winner in the Demonstration category at IEEE RO-MAN 2025
image: A modular robotic furniture system composed of multiple units that can be flexibly combined. Based on expandability, transformability, and mobility, OnOBOT provides contextual and customized services for both indoor and outdoor environments in Tiny Houses on Wheels (THoW).
Credit: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that a research team led by Dr. Sona Kwak and Dr. Yoonseop Lim at the Center for Intelligence and Interaction Research Center won the Grand Prize in the Demonstration category for its outdoor-friendly modular robotic furniture system, OnOBOT, at the Robot Design Competition held during the International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication 2025 (RO-MAN 2025) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, from August 25 to 29, 2025.
RO-MAN is one of the world's leading conferences in human-robot interaction, bringing together top research institutions from around the globe to share their latest advancements. This year's Robot Design Competition included three categories - Context Design, Technical Design, and Demonstration. KIST's research team took the Grand Prize in the Demonstration category, standing out among global competitors such as Honda Research EU and the University of Auckland. The team's modular robotic furniture system, OnOBOT, designed to enhance human-nature interaction in mobile living environments, was recognized internationally for its innovation.
OnOBOT builds on the existing modular robotic furniture, oOoBOT-originally designed for ultra-compact indoor spaces-and expands it into a system for Tiny Houses on Wheels (THoW) that connects indoor and outdoor living. It consists of modular units, including a table, chair, storage, cart, parasol, hammock, and lamp, combining mobility with transformability. Building on oOoBOT's context-awareness and automation, OnOBOT interacts with natural elements and adapts to its surroundings. Outdoors, the parasol and lamp modules respond to sunlight, moonlight, and starlight, transforming into arrangements suited to each setting and providing users with a comfortable, immersive experience in nature. Indoors, holographic films recreate the sensation of nature-such as the sea, sunset, and sky-through subtle shifts in light, bringing a natural ambiance into compact spaces. Each module folds or expands to maximize space efficiency, making OnOBOT practical for small environments such as campers and mobile homes.
With outdoor leisure activities such as camping, glamping, and caravanning gaining popularity, OnOBOT offers a robotic furniture solution that moves freely between indoor and outdoor spaces, supporting both convenience and emotional well-being. Each modular unit can connect and expand into an IoT-based smart home system, with potential applications across tourism, leisure, and eco-friendly housing industries. Beyond convenience, these technologies are expected to contribute to building sustainable living environments and generating new industrial value.
"OnOBOT represents a new residential solution based on human-nature interaction, helping users experience nature more deeply in their daily lives and find emotional balance. It will open new possibilities for eco-friendly living as well as the tourism and leisure sectors." said Dr. Sona Kwak, the project lead. Dr. Changhee Seo added, "We are continuing our research to showcase OnOBOT's innovation on the international stage at CES 2026. As we move toward commercialization, our focus will be on verifying durability and enhancing the user experience."
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KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://www.kist.re.kr/eng/index.do
This research was supported by the Robot Industry Technology Development Project (2MRF150) and the Design Innovation Capacity Enhancement Project (2MRF850) of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).