Samsung pushes the advance in robotics

Samsung Electronics has announced its plans to increase its stake in Rainbow Robotics from 14.7% to an impressive 35% by exercising a call option. The move, amounting to 86.8 billion South Korean won (approximately 72.8 million US dollars), signals a massive commitment by the company to robotics. The goal is to incorporate Rainbow Robotics' products into Samsung's consolidated financial statements. Rainbow Robotics, founded in 2011 by professionals from the Humanoid Robot Research Center of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, first made a name for itself by developing Korea's first bipedal walking robot, "Hubo." The combination of Samsung's expertise in artificial intelligence and software with Rainbow Robotics' robotic competencies could significantly accelerate the development of intelligent humanoid robots and other groundbreaking technologies. To further promote growth potential in the robotics sector, Samsung has established a Future Robotics Office, reporting directly to the CEO. This new department is led by Dr. Jun-Ho Oh, a recognized professor at KAIST and co-founder of Rainbow Robotics. It will focus on humanoid robots and related technologies, aiming to establish robotics as a central driving force in business development. The expanded cooperation plan also includes a synergy council to drive corporate strategy and assess global market opportunities. In its endeavor to enhance automation in production and logistics, Samsung intends to deploy Rainbow Robotics' dual-arm mobile manipulators and collaborative robots. Real-time environmental data will be analyzed using artificial intelligence to improve the operational efficiency of these systems. Through Samsung's global distribution network, Rainbow Robotics will be able to expand its international presence. This strategic collaboration underscores Samsung's ambition to integrate robotics into its product range, thereby expanding its dominance in the global robotics market.