Is a 'Samsung Bot' set to be released in coming years?

Samsung Electronics has set its sights on the development of a humanoid robot as the tech company reviews the mid-to-long-term strategy of its robot business. A planning team under the Device eXperience division is developing a business strategy...

Humanoid robot Ameca created by British robotics company Engineered Arts is displayed at CES 2022 in January 2022. [NEWS1]

Samsung Electronics has set its sights on the development of a humanoid robot as the tech company reviews the mid-to-long-term strategy of its robot business.

A planning team under the Device eXperience (DX) division is developing a business strategy to enter the robot market with humanoids on the cards, after a request by Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

Lee reportedly mentioned Tesla’s humanoid robot and ordered a detailed review of Samsung's robot business, an industry source told the JoongAng Ilbo.

Global tech companies such as Tesla, Google and Microsoft are trailblazing the AI-implemented humanoid robot business.

Tesla pioneered the humanoid robot market, having revealed the first prototype version of Optimus, or Tesla Bot, in October last year and has since implemented various updates. The 172-centimeter (5 feet, 8 inches) tall humanoid is scheduled to hit markets as early as next year, priced at $20,000 per bot. Optimus will likely feature the full assemblage of Tesla’s latest science, including autonomous driving, AI and Neuralink technology.

Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot is on display at the Seoul Mobility Show held at Kintex, Gyeonggi, in March. [SARAH CHEA]

Musk told investors last month that he wants to make a cyborg body for amputees by designing prosthetic limbs based on Tesla and Neuralink technologies.

Lee met with Musk during his trip to the United States in May to discuss ways to cooperate on advanced technologies.

U.S. chipmaker Intel on July 17 also announced a $9 million investment in Figure, an AI robotics startup.

Samsung focusing on the humanoid sector may be a factor further delaying the release of its wearable healthcare robot, Bot Fit. Samsung initially planned to market the wearable robot last year and produced prototypes, but pushed the date back to improve its commercial quality.

The Korean electronics maker announced in 2021 that it will invest 240 trillion won ($184 billion) in future businesses including robots and AI by the end of 2023. In March, Samsung became a 15-percent stake owner in local humanoid robotics company Rainbow Robotics, following its purchase of a 10.22 percent stake in January, which was Samsung’s first-ever investment in a listed robotics company.

A visitor tries on Samsung Electronics' wearable robot GEMS, or Gait Enhancing and Motivating System, at CES 2020. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and DX division head Han Jong-hee said a healthcare robot product will be released by the year’s end during the CES 2023 event in Las Vegas in January. The company is yet to announce a more concrete release date.

Attempts to commercialize AI humanoid robots within the industry are prompting Samsung to adjust its long-term business goals. The market size for humanoid robots was $1.62 billion in 2022, according to Precedence Research. The burgeoning market is forecast to grow more than 17 times to reach $28.7 billion by 2032.

Humanoid robots have far greater potential and usage than the simpler robots currently being used for carrying goods and removing hazardous materials.

It remains to be seen if Samsung Electronics’ robotics business is able to move through the gears to run the company’s future growth engine. Samsung reported a 95-percent on-year plunge in operating profit in the second quarter of this year on stagnating chip demand.

BY LEE HEE-KWON [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]