[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Samsung Electronics is accelerating the development of future robots, including humanoids, by securing the position of largest shareholder in Rainbow Robotics, a leading domestic robot company.

Samsung Electronics announced on the 31st that it exercised a call option it had in Rainbow Robotics, in which it invested 86.8 billion won in 2023 and owns a 14.7% stake. As a result, Samsung Electronics will increase its stake in Rainbow Robotics from the second largest shareholder to 35.0%, becoming the largest shareholder. Rainbow Robotics will be included as a subsidiary in Samsung Electronics' consolidated financial statements.

Rainbow Robotics is a robotics company founded in 2011 by researchers at KAIST Hubo Lab, who developed Korea's first bipedal walking robot, Hubo.

◆ Establishment of Future Robot Promotion Group… Focus on Preliminary Research on Robot Technology Development

By incorporating Rainbow Robotics as a subsidiary, Samsung Electronics has solidified its foundation for developing future robots. It plans to accelerate the development of intelligent, advanced humanoids by combining Rainbow Robotics’ robotics technology with Samsung Electronics’ AI and software technology.

To this end, Samsung Electronics has established the Future Robot Promotion Team directly under the CEO. The Future Robot Promotion Team is an organization that focuses on the development of future robot technology, including humanoids, and plans to secure the competitiveness of the original technology of future robots that will change the paradigm in the future and turn it into a key growth engine.

Professor Oh Jun-ho, a founding member of Rainbow Robotics and an honorary professor at KAIST, will serve as an advisor to Samsung Electronics and head of the Future Robot Promotion Group after retiring from Rainbow Robotics. Professor Oh will contribute to Samsung Electronics’ future robot development based on his robot technology and business know-how accumulated over a long period of time in academia and industry.

◆ Samsung Electronics - Rainbow Robotics Synergy Council… Win-Win Growth Bridge

As the largest shareholder of Rainbow Robotics, Samsung Electronics will also operate a synergy council between the two companies to strengthen their global robot business and development leadership. The synergy council will serve as a bridge to help the two companies grow by developing future robot technologies as well as establishing robot business strategies and discovering demand.

For example, Samsung Electronics plans to utilize Rainbow Robotics' collaborative robots, dual-arm robots, and autonomous mobile robots to automate manufacturing, logistics, and other tasks.

These robots can greatly improve their work capabilities by learning and analyzing situational data and environmental variables that occur on-site using AI algorithms.

Rainbow Robotics is expected to be able to actively advance into overseas markets by utilizing Samsung Electronics' global sales infrastructure.

A Samsung Electronics official said, “As Samsung Electronics has become the largest shareholder of Rainbow Robotics, we expect a synergy effect in the development of future robots,” adding, “Ultimately, it will greatly contribute to the win-win growth of both companies.”