Hyundai Showcases Humanoid Robot for Work in Car Factories
Seoul-Based Manufacturer Initially Plans to Deploy Newest Atlas Robot to Handle Highly Repetitive Tasks
Key Takeaways:
- Hyundai Motor's Boston Dynamics unit unveiled a new Atlas humanoid robot slated for deployment in Hyundai factories starting in 2028, including a plant in Savannah, Ga.
- Hyundai plans to initially use Atlas for repetitive tasks before expanding to complex assembly work by 2030, as part of a broader push to combine AI with robotics at scale.
- The company aims to mass-produce up to 30,000 robots annually in the U.S., underscoring intensifying competition and investment in humanoid robotics across the auto industry.
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Hyundai Motor Co.’s Boston Dynamics unit unveiled the latest iteration of a humanoid robot designed to work in the carmaker’s manufacturing plants starting in 2028, including at its factory in Savannah, Ga.
The Seoul-based manufacturer initially plans to deploy its newest Atlas robot to handle highly repetitive tasks, such as arranging components in the order they are installed in vehicles, before it plugs them into more complex assembly work by 2030, Hyundai said in afrom thetechnology conference in Las Vegas.
The Atlas humanoid robot features human-scale hands with tactile sensing and fully rotational joints capable of lifting up to 110 pounds and operating in temperatures as low as -4 F and as high as 104 F, it said.
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Hyundai aims to mass produce as many as 30,000 robots annually at a new facility in the U.S., part of a broader initiative to meld artificial intelligence with robotics. The announcement comes after Executive Chair Chung Euisun said inNew Year remarksthat his company needs to embrace cutting-edge AI technology to avoid falling behind competitors.
NEWS: Boston Dynamics showed off its new Atlas humanoid robot working inside Hyundai's car factory, sorting roof racks. They also showed Atlas' new three finger hand.
"This is the first time Atlas has been out of the lab doing real work. He's working autonomously." — Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt)
The auto industry has been at the vanguard of efforts to automate more assembly line processes to trim labor costs and bolster worker safety. With AI, carmakers see opportunities for new revenue streams and improving the in-car experience for drivers with innovations like hands-free operation.
Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng Inc. last year showed off its Iron humanoid robot to great fanfare anda surgein shares. Tesla Inc. is developing its Optimus robot, which Elon Musk says has the potential to be “the biggest product of all time” and will eventually account for80% of Tesla’s value. Toyota Motor Corp. also has anadvanced robotics program, which in 2024with rival Hyundai to speed development of humanoid robots using AI.
At , presents its transformative Strategy ‘Partnering Human Progress’. It’s not about what technology can do – it’s about what humanity can achieve with it.
Watch full film: — Hyundai Worldwide (@Hyundai_Global)
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Robots have long been used in simple tasks like welding and logistics, but companies are now looking for technological breakthroughs that will see robots master more intricate jobs. The rapid development of AI is helping drive bullish bets on the sector, with Goldman Sachs Groupprojectingthe market for humanoid robots to reach$38 billionby 2035, while Morgan Stanley expects the sector will hit$5 trillionby 2050 — when there could be more than 1 billion humanoids in use.
Hyundai said it “expects humanoids to become the largest segment of the physical AI market in the future and has set a goal to mass-produce the Atlas product model, deploying units at scale across industrial sites as production-ready humanoid robots.”
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The carmaker launched its Robotics Lab in 2019, then two years later acquired Boston Dynamics — which has had commercial success with a robotic guard dog calledSpotand a mobile robotic arm known asStretchfor re-stocking warehouses. The South Korean company plans to invest 125 trillion won ($86 billion) in South Korea over the next five years in AI, robotics and other new technologies, and anotherin the U.S. through 2028.
It also plans to strengthen a strategic partnership with Nvidia Corp., leveraging the chip giant’s technology to expedite innovation and improve efficiency. The two companies signed an agreement in October to build a $3 billion physical AI cluster in South Korea.
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