Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced today that it will become the largest shareholder in Rainbow Robotics Inc., a South Korean robot maker, by increasing its stake in the company to 35% by spending more than 267 billion won, or about $181 billion.

Samsung said it planned to use its investment in Rainbow Robotics to strengthen its work on developing advanced robot technology, especially humanoid robots. The company said it first acquired a 14.7% stake in the robotics firm in 2023 with an investment of 86.6 billion won.

Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Technology’s, or KAIST’s, Humanoid Robot Research Center founded Rainbow Robotics in 2011 and are credited with the development of the first two-legged walking robot, “Hubo,” in Korea. The company has also developed industrial robots, quadrupeds, dual arm manipulators and industrial robots.

Samsung said it plans to use Rainbow’s collaborative robots and industrial robots for manufacturing and logistics automation tasks. The company said combining robotics and artificial intelligence in factory and industrial settings has proved to improve work capabilities and safety for workers by learning and analyzing situational data.

Numerous companies have been developing autonomous robots using AI, including humanoid robots, to improve efficiency and safety in industrial settings including Tesla Inc., Boston Dynamics Inc. and Figure AI Inc. Artificial intelligence technology chip maker technology giant Nvidia Corp. unveiled AI foundation models for humanoid robots this year and leading generative AI model developer OpenAI is reportedly considering developing its own humanoid robot.

As part of the deal, Rainbow Robotics will become a subsidiary of Samsung and the company is expected to use Samsung’s global sales reach to extend overseas.

In order to grow the effectiveness of advanced robotic technologies, including the humanoid robots, Samsung said it established a Future Robotics Office reporting directly to Samsung Chief Executive Ha Jong-hee. Dr. Jun-Ho Oh, a founding member of Rainbow Robotics and honorary professor at KAIST, was tapped to head up the new division after retiring from company.

Samsung said the new office will be tasked with advancing the development of future robots and robotic technologies and turn them “into a key growth engine” for the company given the current trends in the market.

Image: Rainbow Robotics