Yongin, Thursday, 4 September 2025.
Everland will deploy AI-driven RBQ quadruped robots as parade performers in its autumn festival, starting this Friday and running through mid-November. This marks Korea’s first use of four-legged robots as parade participants, with two RBQ units choreographed to music to lead a 600 m, 35-minute Smiley Pumpkin Parade alongside human dancers. For retail and park operators the move signals a shift to experiential automation: robots can extend storytelling, reduce cast size, and create new IP-led merchandising, sponsorship opportunities. Operationally, expect challenges around battery and thermal management, AI-based path planning and obstacle avoidance in dense crowds, redundancy and manual overrides for compliance, and high-frequency maintenance cycles. Visitor reaction, regulatory approvals and integration lessons will be watched by international parks and vendors; successful commercialization could unlock scalable robotic entertainment across portfolios. Retail teams should assess brand fit, guest flow impact, and new revenue streams tied to character goods and sponsored tech experiences.
Everland will deploy two RBQ-series four-legged robots as part of its Smiley Pumpkin Parade during the park’s autumn festival, with the units choreographed to music and performing alongside human dancers over a roughly 600 m procession route that lasts about 35 minutes each day [1][5]. The resort division of Samsung C&T announced the robots will appear once daily during the festival, which runs from this Friday through mid-November [1][5].
What the machines can do — and who built them
The RBQ units come from Rainbow Robotics and combine dynamical (physics-based) walking and AI-driven gait control, enabling not only steady walking on slopes and stairs but also acrobatic tricks such as jumps and two-foot balancing that were programmed for the performance [3][4]. Everland and Rainbow Robotics developed new AI-based motion sets tailored to the parade theme and say the robots completed multiple rounds of testing to secure operational stability for the 600 m route [1][3][5].
For operators and suppliers, integrating autonomous performers into live spectacles signals a shift toward experiential automation: robots can extend creative storytelling, reduce reliance on large human casts for long processions, and create new IP-led merchandising and sponsorship opportunities tied to distinctive tech-driven characters [GPT][1]. Industry observers say such visible deployments serve as live demonstrations of capability for vendors and as potential new revenue generators for parks through branded goods and sponsored technology showcases [GPT][1].
Operational engineering: key technical considerations
Park deployment of four‑legged robots raises several engineering challenges. Rainbow Robotics notes the RBQ design uses fanless structures to optimise thermal and water resistance, which is relevant for sustained outdoor performances; the robots’ AI walking algorithms are intended to function even without visual inputs for slopes and stairs [3]. For parade contexts, operators must address battery and thermal management for continuous outdoor shows, real‑time path planning and obstacle avoidance in dense crowds, and redundancy plus manual‑override systems to meet safety and regulatory expectations [3][5][GPT].
Safety, testing and regulatory visibility
Everland says it conducted tens of test runs to verify stability and AI motion performance before public deployment, reflecting the kind of validation likely required by regulators and insurers for autonomous devices operating near guests [5][1]. As Korea’s first reported case of four‑legged robots participating as parade members, the project will be watched by domestic regulators and international parks for lessons on approvals, crowd safety protocols, and operator responsibilities [1][5][3].
Maintenance, cadence and backstage logistics
High‑cadence show schedules — a daily 35‑minute parade over several months — imply frequent maintenance cycles, spare‑parts logistics, and on‑site service teams to address wear, battery swaps and thermal issues between performances; Rainbow Robotics has highlighted design choices aimed at robustness, but ongoing mechanical servicing and choreographing re‑tests in live conditions remain essential operational needs [3][5][GPT].
Retail teams and commercial planners should assess brand fit, guest‑flow impacts and potential revenue streams: visible robotic characters can generate licensed merchandise, photo‑op premiums and tech‑sponsorship packages that tie a park’s IP to leading robotics firms — a model that could scale if guest response and operational uptime meet commercial targets [GPT][1]. Park teams will also need to model any tradeoffs between spectacle-driven dwell time and throughput in adjacent retail zones [GPT][1].
Industry watch: what international operators will learn
International parks and ride manufacturers are likely to monitor this deployment for practical lessons in systems integration, guest reaction, vendor partnerships and the economics of robotic entertainment; successful, reliable shows could encourage wider adoption across portfolios, while setbacks would underscore the importance of redundancy, rigorous testing and clear safety protocols before replication [GPT][1][3][5].
Bronnen