The Company’s Wide-ranging Configurations make Robot and Coding Education Accessible to all Age groups, from Kindergarten to University

MRT International (www.myrobottime.co.kr) is a Korean educational robot company established in 2013, whose name is derived from the first letters of “My Robot Time.” Although it is still considered to be a start-up, it has already amassed a global partnership list of over 30 countries. The MRT series’ educational robot and coding kits can be used by students in kindergarten, primary, middle, high school, and university.

▲MRT robot series line up

After founding the International Youth Robot Association (IYRA), the International Youth Robotics Convention (IYRC) has been held annually in association with other participating countries. In August of this year, the robotics competition was successfully completed in Malaysia. Based on these efforts, the company seeks to increase its global partnerships and launch a global robot brand.

Majoring in German language and literature at university, CEO Jay Gil worked for 3 years as the secretary-general for the International Robot Olympiad and Federation of International Robot-soccer Association (FIRA) created by KAIST professor Jong-Hwan Kim. There, his relationship with robots began and the experiences he acquired played a leading role in his efforts to establish international robot competitions. He is currently serving as the Korean delegate and IYRA secretary-general.

In order to establish a strong relationship among the partners rather than the superficial dealings between manufacturers and buyers, MRT International has aimed for continuous global development through the business model of using local content, joint development, establishment of local corporations and market verification through robot competitions.

The MRT (My Robot Time) series teach robot coding and consist of a variety of robots that are linked to one another. In particular, the company’s competiveness derives from the 15 types of level based course kits from GOMA – used by kindergarteners – to kits for primary, middle, and high school students as well as university students. Based on a scientific foundation, the company has designed the MRT series for systematic education based on independent R&D, production, marketing, and operation services.

▲MRT International collaborated with Israel’s Golanix Robotics

In recent years, the company has launched the Blacksmith Board for coding learning for program-centered training without hardware assembly, and introduced the LSM micro-servo motor, which can be combined with the 3D printer model. The character humanoid robot Line-Core m was also released, thus expanding their reach in the market. In March, with support from the Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (KORIL-RDF), the company collaborated with Israel’s Golanix Robotics to push ahead with research development in the coding education system. In 2016, with support from the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement for market generating robot supply business, the company has expanded its business by building a testbed for the marketing of its robot products in China, Russia and Malaysia. Recently, they have established a local corporation in Malaysia and are also preparing locations in Turkey, the Arab nations, and USA.

▲LINE Core_3D Products

MRT International also launched a character humanoid robot optimized for 3D printing. In other words, the user can build his own robot using a 3D printer. The app can be downloaded for free from Google Player. Mr. Gil has said, “I want to next create a platform that can link up with the Maker Movement so that everyone, including adults, can make whatever they need or want.”

At the start of next year, in January, the first IYRC winter STEM camp will be held at Angelo State University in the United States. The STEM Camp will be overseen by the Angelo State University faculty and will be a five-day event, during which the participants will learn and practice through projects in a variety of scientific fields such as robotics, math, physics, and astronomy. The camp will run in January 2018, from the 2nd to the 8th, with primary students in grade 3 to high school students eligible to attend. At the request of the school, the camp is limited to 150 students from 10 countries. Apart from the camp, their program also includes Maker Space, an MRT product workshop that regularly visits primary schools. The camp is also an opportunity to consolidate of the MRT products that have been used for research and education in each country and their respective market research and to re-evaluate them in January to further propel their progress.

▲Humanoid LINE-Core m

While MRT International Co., Ltd. is still a start-up business, their role in the world’s educational robot market will be a leading one, if their current business trend continues. Their buisness model consists not of a simple trading relationship between the manufacturer and the buyer, but rather a long-lasting progressive relationship built on a colloaborative partnership between headquarters and their partners for more impactful progress. From this perspective, MRT truly embodies the spirit of the 4th Industrial Revolution, which emphasizes sharing, mutual prosperity, collaboration, and openness.