Rainbow Robotics unveils omnidirectional wheels, development kit for its dual-arm robot

The RB-Y1 features two arms mounted on a wheeled mobile platform. | Source: Rainbow Robotics

Rainbow Robotics, a Korean robotics developer that spun out of the Humanoid Robot Research Center of KAIST, unveiled two new features for its RB-Y1 system at ICRA 2025 this week. RB-Y1 is a semi-humanoid robot that features a torso and two arms with a wheeled base.

The RB-Y1 features two arms with seven degrees of freedom (DoF) each, a 6-DoF single leg, and a wheel-based mobile platform. Designed to support a wide range of development environments, the robot provides open application programming interfaces (APIs) and modular options.

“Our humanoid robot is purpose-built for AI researchers and developers,” stated Jungwoo Heo, chief technology officer of Rainbow Robotics. “As our message ‘This is Your Humanoid, Make it Perfect for Your AI Solution’ suggests, it is designed to offer a platform optimized for applying diverse AI technologies.”

RB-Y1 gains two new features

Rainbow Robotics said it has added a Mecanum wheel system and a software development kit (SDK) for the RB-Y1. The Mecanum system is an omnidirectional technology, allowing for 360-degree movement and significantly enhancing maneuverability in constrained spaces.

The integrated RB-Y1 SDK is compatible with various modules, including the inertial measurement unit (IMU), gripper, and lidar. This enables the humanoid to be easily customized to fit a wide range of research and development applications, the company said.

“With the unveiling of the Mecanum Wheel system and integrated SDK at ICRA 2025, we aim to establish Rainbow Robotics as a technology leader in the global humanoid robotics market,” said Jungwoo Heo.

Since its public debut in March 2024, RB-Y1 has received pre-orders from institutions worldwide. Leading universities, including MIT, UC Berkeley, the University of Washington, and Georgia Tech, as well as companies across various industries, are currently using the mobile manipulator.

Rainbow Robotics said it is expanding its local footprint through its U.S. subsidiary in Chicago, providing technical support and fostering collaborations with AI developers across the region.

Samsung acquires majority stake in Rainbow Robotics

In December, Samsung Electronics Co. increased its stake in Rainbow Robotics to 35%. Samsung first acquired a 14.7% stake in its fellow South Korean company for KRW 86.8 billion ($59 million U.S.).

Samsung is now the largest stakeholder in Rainbow Robotics, and plans to incorporate the robotics developer as a subsidiary under Samsung’s consolidated financial statements. The company said the combination of Rainbow’s robotics technology with its AI and software will “accelerate the development of intelligent advanced humanoids.”

In addition to RB-Y1, Rainbow Robotics also offers an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). The serving AMR features the company’s grid-free SLAM technology, which allows it to recognize its own location and perform autonomous driving functions.

Other recent partnerships around humanoid robots include Apptronik and Google DeepMind, Figure AI and OpenAI, Realbotix with Amazon Web Services and Compass UOL, Schaeffler and Agility Robotics, and Boston Dynamics and the Toyota Research Institute.

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