Thought Leadership
Samsung is massively expanding its involvement in the field of robotics. The company has announced that it will become the largest shareholder in robotics specialist Rainbow Robotics by exercising a call option. The stake is to be increased from the current 14.7 percent to 35 percent.
Samsung had already acquired an initial significant stake in Rainbow Robotics in 2023 with an investment of 86.8 billion won (approximately 60 million euros). With the increase now announced, the company will be included as a subsidiary in the consolidated financial reports of Samsung Electronics.
Rainbow Robotics, founded in 2011 by researchers at the Humanoid Robot Research Center of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), developed “Hubo”, Korea’s first bipedal walking robot. The company’s expertise will now be combined with Samsung’s AI and software technology to advance the development of intelligent humanoid-like robots.
Great ambitions
A Synergy Council will be set up to coordinate the collaboration and act as a bridge between the two companies. The aim is to jointly develop pioneering robot technologies and identify market potential. Samsung plans to use Rainbow Robotics’ collaborative robots, dual-arm mobile manipulators and autonomous mobile robots for automation tasks in manufacturing and logistics.
A particular focus is on AI-supported optimization: the robots are to continuously improve their work efficiency through machine learning and the analysis of situational data. In return, Rainbow Robotics will gain access to Samsung’s global sales network for international expansion.
