Rainbow Robotics

Rainbow Robotics is a South Korean robotics company founded in 2011 by Oh Jun-ho, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), together with students and researchers associated with the KAIST Humanoid Robot Research Center. The company developed from the HUBO research program, one of South Korea's most prominent humanoid-robot initiatives, and has built a product portfolio spanning humanoid robots, collaborative robots, mobile robots, quadruped robots, specialized service systems, and robotic platforms for research and industrial use. Its early commercial identity was closely tied to HUBO. Rainbow Robotics produced 15 units of the mass-production version of HUBO-2, also known as HUBO-2 Plus, by 2012. Four units were supplied to domestic humanoid-robot research teams, while 11 were exported to research organizations in the United States, Japan, Singapore, and China. This activity gave the company an international presence at an early stage, although its operating base remained in South Korea. The HUBO family is associated with the development of full-size bipedal humanoid robots. HUBO-2 was described as the first commercialized humanoid-robot platform of its kind and used a cable-driven adaptive five-finger hand designed to accommodate objects with different shapes. Rainbow Robotics also developed the disaster-response platform DDRC-HUBO, an exoskeleton-type robot with a wheeled driving mode and an actuator-cooling system. That model won the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge, a result that strengthened the company's technical reputation in disaster-response and advanced humanoid robotics. Beyond humanoids, Rainbow Robotics has expanded into systems intended for more practical and specialized applications. Its reported product areas include astronomical mount systems, media service robots, medical laser toning systems, cocktail and barista robots, collaborative robots, mobile robots, and quadruped robots. These products place the company across several segments rather than limiting it to humanoid research. Collaborative and mobile robotics are particularly relevant to industrial automation, while service-oriented systems address hospitality, media, and other customer-facing environments. Rainbow Robotics established a local corporation in Schaumburg, Illinois, in 2023 with a dedicated organization for collaborative-robot sales and customer management. It subsequently opened a United States branch office, indicating an effort to support overseas commercialization and customer relationships directly. The company's headquarters remains in Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon, a major South Korean research and technology cluster. In March 2025, Rainbow Robotics was acquired by Samsung Electronics. The transaction placed Rainbow Robotics within Samsung's broader technology ecosystem and marked a major ownership transition in the company's history. The available reference material does not specify the transaction value, detailed ownership percentage, or the precise operating structure after the acquisition. Rainbow Robotics remains identified as an active robotics business, with its historical expertise in humanoids and its broader portfolio providing the foundation for continued work in automation and intelligent machines.

Rainbow Robotics was founded in 2011 by Oh Jun-ho and students connected with the KAIST Humanoid Robot Research Center. Its origins lie in the HUBO program, a KAIST effort to develop bipedal humanoid robots capable of human-scale movement and manipulation. The company provided a commercial structure for extending this research into manufactured robotic platforms and related products. The first phase of Rainbow Robotics' development centered on the HUBO family. By 2012, the company had produced 15 units of the mass-production version of HUBO-2, or HUBO-2 Plus. Four units went to South Korean humanoid-robot research teams and 11 were exported to research teams in the United States, Japan, Singapore, and China. This early distribution demonstrated that the company was serving both domestic and overseas research communities. HUBO-2 was positioned as a commercialized humanoid-robot platform with a body approximately comparable in scale to a person. Its cable-driven adaptive five-finger hand was designed to close around objects of varying shapes. Rainbow Robotics also developed DDRC-HUBO, an exoskeleton-type disaster-response robot. The system combined an actuator-cooling approach with a wheeled driving mode, supporting movement across conditions relevant to emergency-response work. DDRC-HUBO won the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge, an important public milestone for the company and its underlying research lineage. Over time, Rainbow Robotics broadened its activities beyond bipedal humanoids. Its reported offerings include astronomy mount systems, media service robots, medical laser robot toning systems, cocktail and barista robots, collaborative robots, mobile robots, and quadruped robots. The range reflects a shift from a single flagship research platform toward a diversified robotics business serving research, industrial automation, professional services, and customer-facing applications. The company maintained its headquarters in Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon, a location associated with South Korea's science and technology sector. In 2023, it created a local corporation in Schaumburg, Illinois, with a dedicated sales and customer-management organization for collaborative robots. A United States branch office was subsequently established, providing a local base for overseas commercial support. Rainbow Robotics entered a new ownership phase in March 2025, when Samsung Electronics acquired the company. The acquisition connected Rainbow Robotics' humanoid and broader robotics capabilities with one of South Korea's largest technology groups. The supplied reference material does not state the purchase price, ownership percentage, integration plan, or changes to executive leadership. Rainbow Robotics is therefore best characterized as an active robotics company with a KAIST research heritage, an internationally distributed product history, and a diversified portfolio that extends from humanoids to industrial and service robots.

• 2025

  Samsung Electronics acquisition

  [1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Samsung Electronics acquired Rainbow Robotics in March 2025.

• 2023

  United States collaborative-robot operation is established

  [1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Rainbow Robotics established a Schaumburg, Illinois corporation focused on collaborative-robot sales and customer management, followed by a United States branch office.

• 2015

  DDRC-HUBO wins the DARPA Robotics Challenge

  [1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  The disaster-response DDRC-HUBO platform won the DARPA Robotics Challenge.

• 2012

  HUBO-2 Plus production and overseas distribution

  [1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  The company produced 15 units of the mass-production HUBO-2 model, distributing units to South Korean research teams and research organizations in the United States, Japan, Singapore, and China.

• 2011

  Rainbow Robotics is founded

  [1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Oh Jun-ho founded Rainbow Robotics with students associated with the KAIST Humanoid Robot Research Center.

A research-led South Korean robotics company that commercializes technology originating in KAIST humanoid-robot development while expanding into collaborative, mobile, quadruped, service, and specialized robotic systems.

• Humanoid robot

  HUBO

  HUBO is the flagship humanoid-robot family associated with Rainbow Robotics and its KAIST research origins. The platform represents the company's work on bipedal mobility, human-scale robotic form, and manipulation. It provided the technical foundation for later commercial and research-oriented models and remains the clearest expression of Rainbow Robotics' humanoid-robot heritage.

• Commercial humanoid robot platform · 2012

  HUBO-2 / HUBO-2 Plus

  HUBO-2, including the mass-production version referred to as HUBO-2 Plus, was described as the world's first commercialized humanoid-robot platform. It was designed at approximately human scale and used a cable-driven adaptive five-finger hand. The hand could conform to objects with different shapes, supporting more versatile grasping for research and demonstration applications.

• Disaster-response humanoid robot · 2015

  DDRC-HUBO

  DDRC-HUBO is an exoskeleton-type disaster-relief robot developed for challenging response environments. Its reported features include an original actuator-cooling system and a wheeled driving mode, combining humanoid capabilities with an alternative method of traversing terrain. The platform won the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge.

• Industrial robot

  Collaborative robots

  Rainbow Robotics develops collaborative robots intended for applications in which robotic systems work in or near human-operated environments. The company created a United States sales and customer-management organization specifically for collaborative robots in 2023, indicating that this product area became an important part of its international commercialization effort.

• Mobile robotics

  Mobile and quadruped robots

  The company's broader robotics portfolio includes mobile robots and quadruped robots. These systems extend Rainbow Robotics beyond bipedal humanoids toward platforms designed around autonomous movement, transport, inspection, research, or other specialized operational roles. Specific models, launch dates, and commercial deployment details are not identified in the supplied reference.

• Service and specialized robotics

  Specialized service and automation robots

  Rainbow Robotics' listed product areas also include astronomy mount systems, media service robots, medical laser robot toning systems, and cocktail and barista robots. These offerings show the company's application-oriented expansion into scientific equipment, media, medical services, and hospitality. The supplied material does not provide individual model names or detailed specifications.

• 2025

  Samsung Electronics acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Rainbow Robotics had developed from KAIST humanoid-robot research into a diversified robotics company with humanoid, collaborative, mobile, quadruped, and specialized service systems.

  Action taken

  Samsung Electronics acquired Rainbow Robotics in March 2025.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition placed Rainbow Robotics within Samsung Electronics' corporate structure. The supplied reference does not disclose transaction financials, ownership percentages, integration arrangements, or post-acquisition leadership changes.

  Source

• 2025

  Samsung Electronics acquires Rainbow Robotics[1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Samsung Electronics acquired Rainbow Robotics in March 2025, bringing the KAIST-originated robotics company into Samsung's corporate structure. The available reference does not provide transaction terms or the post-acquisition management structure.

• 2023

  Rainbow Robotics establishes a United States collaborative-robot organization[1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Rainbow Robotics established a local corporation in Schaumburg, Illinois, with dedicated sales and customer-management functions for collaborative robots, followed by a United States branch office.

• 2015

  DDRC-HUBO wins the DARPA Robotics Challenge[1]Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Rainbow Robotics' DDRC-HUBO disaster-relief robot won the DARPA Robotics Challenge, highlighting the company's capabilities in humanoid mobility and disaster-response robotics.

1. 1Rainbow Roboticsen.wikipedia.org