RAION ROBOTICS Lands Seed Investment for Walking Robot Tech Innovation
Korean startup RAION ROBOTICS, specializing in the manufacture of walking robots, has received seed funding from Company K Partners and FuturePlay. Founded by a team of researchers including Professor Hwangbo Jemin from KAIST‘s Department of Mechanical Engineering, RAION ROBOTICS leverages over a decade of research in robot design and gait control. The company’s innovation led to the development of ‘Raibo2’, a next-generation quadruped robot, which garnered the grand prize at the 2023 “Challenge! K-Startup” competition for its business potential.
Raibo2 is designed with an AI that uses reinforcement learning to autonomously navigate and stabilize on diverse terrains, including steep slopes, curbs, stairs, snow, and sand, by adeptly utilizing its four legs.
RAION ROBOTICS has also developed its own internal components, optimizing performance and walking efficiency, thereby achieving an impressive 8-hour battery life. This advancement enables the robot to undertake long-distance and terrain-independent operations, making it ideal for surveillance, security, disaster rescue, and exploration purposes.
While existing commercial quadruped robots have been limited by short battery lives of 1-2.5 hours and walking intelligence constraints, Raibo2 has been lauded for breaking new ground in commercialization with its extended battery life and superior walking capabilities.
Seeking to capitalize on its technological edge, RAION ROBOTICS is actively exploring business opportunities in promising sectors such as defense, construction, and logistics.
Lee Kang-su, CEO of Company K Partners, praised RAION ROBOTICS for propelling the commercialization of quadruped robots forward by integrating all parts, including control systems, reducers, and motors, thus ensuring top performance and competitive pricing.
Ryu Joong-hee, CEO of FuturePlay, noted the intensifying technological race in humanoid and multi-legged robots, highlighted by projects like Tesla’s Optimus, Figure AI in collaboration with OpenAI, and Nvidia’s Project Groot. He emphasized that RAION ROBOTICS’ core technologies in quadruped robotics, rooted in KAIST Robotics Intelligence Lab’s research, hold global competitive strength and can stand up against major global companies.
Hwangbo Jemin, CEO of RAION ROBOTICS, expressed, “With the increasing demand for unmanned automation solutions due to population decline, labor shortages, and accessibility issues to hazardous areas, this investment will serve as a stepping stone to further refine our products and establish ourselves as a global leader in the field of quadruped walking robots.”
[Korean Robotics Company News]
- KALMAN Secures Funding for Innovative Unmanned Nuclear Plant Robots
- [Korean Startup Interview] Faraday Dynamics: “Becoming a Game Changer in the Robotics with High-Performance Servo Motors”
- WIRobotics Secures KRW 13 Billion in Series A for Wearable Robot Innovation
- Faraday Dynamics Attracts Seed Investment for High-Torque Servo Motor Innovation
- LG Electronics Paves the Way for Service Robotics Growth with Bear Robotics Investment
- Naver unveils the World’s First Web Platform-enabled OS for Robotics at LEAP 2024
- Floatic to Unveil its Advanced Robotics Solution Floware at MODEX 2024
- Clobot Passes Tech Evaluation with ‘A, A’ for Listing, Plans Growth in Robot Sector
- ROBOS Secures KRW 7 Billion for Vision AI Slaughterhouse Robots in Series A Funding
- Connecteve Secures $3M funding for AI in Musculoskeletal Software and Surgical Robotics
