TheTechno Optimist.

RB-Y1Rainbow Robotics—Samsung plans AI-driven factories by 2030, with Rainbow Robotics' RB-Y1 humanoids on its linesRB-Y1Rainbow Robotics—Rainbow Robotics' RB-Y1 reportedly trialled at a Coupang fulfilment centre

Rainbow Robotics

RB-Y1 wheeled humanoid, cobots, quadrupeds

KRpublicest. 2011rainbow-robotics.com (opens rainbow-robotics.com)Checked 11 Oct

The brief

Analyst view
  • Samsung lifted its stake to 35% for KRW 267B (about $182M) at the end of 2024, becoming the largest shareholder.
  • Samsung's March 2026 plan to run AI-driven factories by 2030 names RB-Y1 as a robot for its lines.
  • RB-Y1 moved from labs and Samsung and Toyota sites to a reported Coupang warehouse trial in June 2026.

Technical approach

As reported
Wheels, not legs

A humanoid upper body on wheels

RB-Y1 puts two human-like arms on a wheeled base. Rolling is steadier and cheaper than walking on flat factory and warehouse floors.

Torso

A bending 'leg' for reach

A six-joint column between base and torso raises, lowers and leans the upper body, so the arms can reach low shelves and high tables.

Research platform

Sold to AI labs first

RB-Y1 shipped as a standard platform for robot-learning researchers, with APIs and a leader-arm option for teaching by demonstration.

Primer