The nation has developed its first underwater construction robot with domestic technology.
 
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Wednesday that pilot versions of three underwater construction robots were developed through a project involving 23 domestic academic agencies, including the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence.
 
According to the ministry, the demand is surging for robotic devices that can work in water 500 to two-thousand-500 meters deep, on tasks to level the seabed or install facilities. However, the nation has had to import or lease all underwater construction robots from foreign countries due to the lack of related domestic technologies.
 
The key parts of the robots were proven to be performing well in water through a test conducted from March sixth to seventh.