Rainbow Robotics unveils faster, more agile RB-Y1 humanoid

South Korea’s Rainbow Robotics will introduce several enhancements to its RB-Y1 humanoid robot at the IEEE ICRA 2025 conference in Atlanta. The scheduled demonstrations include three remote-operation interfaces—a master arm, a combined touchpad + joystick, and a VR headset platform—alongside a new omnidirectional “Mecanum Wheel System” and an integrated software-development kit (SDK).

RB-Y1 pairs a wheeled base with dual seven-degree-of-freedom arms, giving the machine the reach and dexterity needed for manipulation work while retaining the speed and stability of a ground vehicle. The torso’s six-axis mechanism lets the robot vary its height by more than 50 centimeters (19.7 inches), a feature engineers use to keep the center of gravity low when the platform sprints—up to 5.6 mph—or leans into corners. Each arm lifts 3 kilograms (6.61 lbs), and the complete unit weighs 131 kilograms (288 lbs).

The new Mecanum Wheel System builds on that foundation by enabling true 360-degree movement. Unlike conventional differential steering, the angled-roller design allows lateral translation without pivoting, a clear benefit in cluttered research labs and factory aisles. Rainbow Robotics will show the wheel module working in tandem with the robot’s height-adjust mechanism to reduce the risk of tipping when the platform shifts direction quickly.

Control options are expanding in parallel. The master-arm console mirrors an operator’s arm motions in real time, the touchpad + joystick caters to users who prefer game-style input, and the VR interface combines headset tracking with handheld controllers for immersive teleoperation. All three feed into the company’s new SDK, which exposes APIs for add-ons such as inertial-measurement units, lidar sensors, and custom grippers. The aim is to shorten integration time for labs and system integrators that already work with ROS-based tools.

Commercial interest has grown since RB-Y1’s public launch in March 2024. Research groups at MIT, UC Berkeley, the University of Washington, and Georgia Tech have adopted the platform, and Rainbow Robotics recently opened a Chicago subsidiary to provide technical support for North American partners. In January 2025, Samsung Electronics increased its stake in the firm to 35 percent and signalled plans to deploy collaborative variants of RB-Y1 inside its manufacturing lines as well as in logistics operations.