Seoul Apartment Robots Deliver Food Door to Door With 95% Reported Satisfaction

Deliveries that had to climb through the building

A large apartment complex in Seoul, South Korea, with door to door food delivery robots faced a problem common to tall residential blocks. Food ordered from nearby restaurants and cafes had to reach a home on an upper floor, and every courier who entered the grounds added foot traffic to shared lobbies and lifts.

The developer argues that limiting outside delivery personnel inside the complex lowers safety risks and reduces conflicts over outsider access. That is the company's own view, and it frames the project. The aim was less outside movement through shared space, not just a faster drop at the door.

• Outside delivery personnel moving through shared areas
• Access conflicts with outsiders inside the complex
• Lifts and entrances that had to work with a robot instead of a courier

A pilot inside the complex, then a commercial service

The pilot ran in 2025 and tested whether food could be delivered directly to apartment units. Its engineering work covered two problems: automated opening of communal entrance doors, and integration with elevator call systems so a robot could summon a car and ride it to the right floor.

Before the service became fully commercial, the plan went to the residents' representative council and the on-site management office. The robots travel at standard walking speed, and each delivery is locked so it opens only for the intended recipient. The robot calls and rides the elevator, then the resident collects the order at the front door.

The pilot built on earlier steps. In June 2024 the developer announced a robot delivery launch at the complex, after Seoul rules allowed autonomous robots on sidewalks. South Korea had amended its Intelligent Robots Development and Distribution Promotion Act in November 2023 to allow autonomous robots outdoors. In January 2025 the robot supplier and the developer said they had begun door to door delivery in apartment complexes.

• Pilot in 2025 to test direct delivery to apartment units
• Engineering for automated communal entrance doors
• Integration with elevator call systems
• Review with the residents' representative council and the management office
• Move to a fully commercial service

What the measured outcome shows, and what it does not

The headline result is a 95 percent satisfaction rate from a survey of 113 participating residents, run during the pilot period. The number is company-reported, and it measures how residents felt about the service. It does not report labor hours saved or operating costs.

Two more survey answers round out the picture. 99 percent of residents agreed the service was necessary, and 74 percent said they would use it as a paid offering. Those answers point to demand, though they record stated intentions rather than orders placed.

Reach is the other measurable point. Through integration with an online ordering platform, the network covers about 130 food and beverage establishments within a 1.2 km radius. The developer says limiting outside couriers inside the complex reduces safety risks, but that claim has not been quantified.

What this means for commercial buildings

Service Robot Co. is a full service, OEM neutral commercial robot integrator for US businesses. We select the right robots across manufacturers, then finance, deploy, integrate, train, and service every unit through a nationwide US engineer network. We lease robots only, on a three year lease with one fixed payment quoted after a site assessment.

The hard parts in this study were elevator integration, controlled entry, and a phased start with the people who share the space. Those decide whether a multi floor delivery robot earns a place in a building. A site assessment answers them before any robot arrives, and buyers weighing robot leasing for business can ask for the same map of floors, doors, and lifts before comparing options.