Daegu opens FIX 2026 with AI, robotics and mobility demos

Daegu Metropolitan City kicked off the Future Innovation Tech Expo 2026 at EXCO in Daegu on Oct. 21 with about 100 guests, putting autonomous driving, Physical AI and smart manufacturing on display. The four-day event is designed to show how AI technologies are moving from labs into industrial use and everyday life.

Why it matters: - FIX 2026 is positioned as a public showcase for how AI, robotics and mobility tools are moving into real-world industry and consumer use. - The expo puts Daegu’s future-industry push in front of companies, researchers and visitors at a time when AI adoption is becoming a competitive factor for manufacturing and transport. - The event also signals how local governments are trying to connect technology development with regional economic growth and quality-of-life gains.

What happened: - Daegu Metropolitan City opened the Future Innovation Tech Expo 2026 at EXCO in Daegu on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. - About 100 distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony. - The expo is running under the theme “AI, beyond Tech into reality.” - Guests included Daegu Mayor Kyung-ho Choo, Metropolitan Area Transport Commission President Yong-seok Kim, National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee Vice Chairman Jung-Woo Ha, Daegu Metropolitan Council Chairman In-hwan Lim, Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Eun-hee Kang, HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Seok Cho, HD Hyundai Robotics President and CEO Wansoo Kim, Doosan Robotics CEO Youngmin Kwon, Hyundai Motor Group Vice President Hang-soo Lee, GMTCK President Brian McMurray and Seoul National University Professor Kyujin Cho.

The details: - The opening tour began with the UAM Special Pavilion, which featured the airframe of Germany’s Volocopter. - Hyundai Motor Company displayed an unmanned firefighting robot and its autonomous driving AI technology, ATRIA AI. - NT1, Neolix’s domestic partner in Korea, showed the autonomous delivery vehicle RoboVan. - HD Hyundai Robotics displayed dual-arm robots. - Doosan Robotics presented Scan&Go, which won the CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award. - MegazoneCloud, described as Asia’s largest cloud management service provider, also exhibited. - Afternoon keynote speakers included Kyujin Cho of Seoul National University, Brian McMurray of GMTCK, Xiaoxiao Shawn Li of the Vector Institute and Francesco Ferro of PAL Robotics. - Cho’s keynote was titled “The Age of Discovery for Physical AI Robots.” - Other featured technologies included an AI-powered unmanned robotic convenience store platform, an AI-driven odor mitigation platform and robotic navigation for fracture surgery. - Visitor programs include a Volocopter UAM boarding experience, drone piloting and target-strike challenges, generative AI studio sessions at KT AI Station, robot-made ice cream and drip coffee, autonomous RoboVan demonstrations and electric vehicle test drives. - The expo is open from Oct. 21 to Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 4 p.m. on Saturday. - Circular shuttle buses run between Dongdaegu Station and EXCO every 30 minutes to 1 hour for out-of-town visitors.

Between the lines: - Daegu is using FIX 2026 to frame itself as a hub for applied AI, not just a venue for product announcements. - The mix of automakers, robotics firms, cloud providers and academic speakers shows how the expo is trying to link research, manufacturing and commercialization. - The hands-on exhibits suggest the city wants visitors to see AI as something that affects daily services, not only industrial automation. - Mayor Kyung-ho Choo said the expo is meant to show how industry and technology are converging around AI and to support future industries, AI transition in flagship sectors and corporate innovation.

What's next: - Visitors can continue attending the expo through Saturday, Oct. 24. - Daegu officials are expected to keep using the event as a platform to promote future-industry investment and AI adoption across local sectors. - The public demonstrations and keynote sessions may help shape follow-on interest from companies, researchers and potential partners.

The bottom line: - FIX 2026 is Daegu’s pitch that AI is ready for the factory floor, the road and everyday services.