Rainbow Robotics develops 4-legged counter-terrorism robot

Samsung Electronics Co.-backed Rainbow Robotics Co. has delivered its multi-legged counter-terrorism robots to the South Korean Army as it gears up for mass production of military-use counter-terrorism robots. 

Rainbow Robotics announced on Tuesday that the prototype of its four-legged counter-terrorism robot is being readied for evaluation by the ROK Army as the country’s first quadruped robot for military use.

The army will test the robot's performance over the next six months to decide whether to deploy it for actual military use.

Rainbow Robotics teamed up with Hyundai Rotem, Hyundai Motor Co.'s rolling stock and military equipment-making unit, to develop the four-legged robot.

They spent the past two years developing the dog-like robot under a state-led fast-track R&D program designed to apply the latest technologies to military weapon systems.

The robot can walk on all fours at a speed of over 4 kilometers per hour (2.5 miles per hour) and can navigate steps as high as 20 centimeters each. Equipped with cameras, it can patrol and detect threats in its environment.

Other equipment, such as pistols, may also be added in the future, according to the company. 

Rainbow Robotics, a Korean collaborative and humanoid robot maker, was founded in 2011 as the humanoid robot research center of KAIST, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, one of Korea’s most prestigious universities.

It also has been cooperating with Hyundai Rotem to develop quadruped walking robots, bipedal platforms and autonomous mobile robots.

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The counter-terrorism robot under evaluation by the South Korean Army was developed with Rainbow Robotics’ proprietary robotics technology.

Following its development, the company will prepare for its mass production while planning to further improve the robot’s operation and maintenance systems and advance artificial intelligence technology for robots. 

If the robot passes the military's test, it will become the first quadruped robot deployed to the ROK Army.

Rainbow Robotics has drawn keen attention from Samsung Electronics given that the Korean tech giant has identified the robotics business as one of its growth drivers.

Collaborative robots are getting more advanced thanks to AI and big data, and global demand for robot services is poised to grow rapidly.

Samsung Electronics set up its robotics business team in 2022 and is seeking to own a controlling stake in Rainbow Robotics. 

Korea’s other major conglomerate, Hyundai Motor Group, acquired US robotics firm Boston Dynamics Inc. in 2020 from SoftBank Group, and the robotics company’s four-legged walking robot 'Spot' has been tasked with patrolling its car-making unit’s plant in Korea.

Write to Hyeon-woo Oh at ohw@hankyung.com
Sookyung Seo edited this article.