Interest in Korean Robots
Google reportedly made a failed attempt in November last year to take over Rainbow, a local robotics research company affiliated with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Established in 2011, Rainbow manufactures Hugo 2, which is a well-known rescue robot.
What is noticeable is that it was Andy Rubin who made the proposition. He currently oversees the entire robotics development strategy of Google. In November 2013, Google rushed into the robot industry by acquiring eight venture firms such as Schaft. This implies that Google thinks highly of Korea’s robotics technology.
Andy Rubin is said to have intended to offer millions of dollars for the source code of Rainbow’s robot. However, Rainbow turned down the offer and Google had to be content with buying just two units of the Hugo 2. “We made no reply when Mr. Rubin offered to move Rainbow to Silicon Valley and share the source code for the joint development of robots,” said Oh Joon-ho, vice president of KAIST, adding, “I came to realize that the offer was to buy the company when I met him again later.”