[Edaily Shin Yeong-bin Reporter] SamsungElectronics(005930)has launched a dedicated research organization focused on “Physical AI” to develop the movement and manipulation capabilities of humanoid robots. Following the launch last month of the RX (Robotics eXperience) Business Promotion Office, which reports directly to the CEO, the company is accelerating its efforts to secure core robotics technologies by further segmenting its internal research structure.

According to the information technology (IT) industry on the 18th, SamsungElectronics recently began operating the “Physical AI Lab” under the RX Business Promotion Office. This organization succeeds the “Future Robot AI Group” within the former Future Robot Promotion Team, and Senior Researcher Koo Dong-han of SamsungElectronics has been appointed as the lab director.

The Physical AI Lab conducts research on the AI and control technologies necessary for humanoids to walk and manipulate objects in real-world environments. Key research areas include full-body control, locomotion, and object manipulation, as well as technologies such as reinforcement learning and imitation learning—which enable robots to learn from human instructions or actions and translate them into actual movements.

Lab Director Koo is a robotics expert with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from KAIST. After working on the Robotics Team at HyundaiMotor, he joined Samsung Research in 2020. At HyundaiMotor, he researched wearable robots and walking robots, and at Samsung, he has continued his research on humanoid control and AI.

The research team is developing technologies such as enabling full-body movements of humanoids in response to human voice commands and adjusting posture and movement to carry objects based on their weight. It is reported that some of this research has been validated in real-world environments using the Chinese Unity humanoid robot.

The Physical AI Lab was launched as part of SamsungElectronics’ restructuring of its robotics organization, centered around the RX Business Promotion Office. On the 21st of last month, SamsungElectronics established the RX Business Promotion Office, which reports directly to the CEO, to foster robotics as a future growth engine. This single organization will integrate and drive everything from mid- to long-term robotics strategies to the development of core technologies, productization, and commercialization.

It is understood that the RX Business Promotion Office houses specialized units such as the Robotics Strategy Team, led by Executive Vice President Lee Dong-geon, as well as the Physical AI Lab and the Hand Lab, which conducts research on robotic hands. Samsung plans to utilize the Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seoul, as its primary research hub and to establish a “Data Factory” at its Gumi facility to secure robot training data.

Samsung appears to be broadening its robotics technology base by simultaneously pursuing the acquisition of specialized robotics companies and expanding its in-house research organizations. While acquiring Rainbow Robotics—a company with humanoid platforms and hardware technology—as a subsidiary, SamsungElectronics is also developing core technologies such as AI, control systems, and robotic hands internally.

The company is also stepping up its recruitment of experts in the robotics field. It has appointed Vice President Lee Dong-geon, who previously oversaw robotics strategy at HyundaiMotor Group, as head of the Robotics Strategy Team, and has secured the participation of Professor Kim Hyun-jin of Seoul National University, an expert in autonomous robot systems, and Professor Kim Eui-gyeom of Ajou University, an expert in robotic hands and manipulation.

Noh Tae-moon, CEO of SamsungElectronics and Head of the DX Division, explained the establishment of the new RX Business Promotion Office at the Galaxy Unpacked press conference held last month in London, UK, stating, “This is an organization designed to transform the pioneering development and investment in the robotics field that we have been pursuing into full-scale commercialization.”