Photo: Boston Dynamics/YouTube
The manufacturer plans a full rollout at U.S. facilities starting in 2028.
Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co., has unveiled an updated version of its humanoid robot Atlas, designed to work at the automaker’s manufacturing sites. The company plans to begin deploying the robot from 2028, including at its plant in Savannah, Georgia, Bloomberg reports.
According to Hyundai, in the initial phase Atlas will handle repetitive tasks on assembly lines, such as arranging components in the order required for vehicle installation. By 2030, the company plans to involve the robot in more complex assembly operations.
The humanoid robot is equipped with human-sized hands featuring tactile sensing and fully rotating joints. It can lift up to 50 kilograms and operate in temperatures ranging from minus 20 to plus 40 degrees Celsius. Hyundai also announced plans to mass-produce up to 30,000 humanoid robots per year at a new factory in the United States, as part of its broader strategy to integrate artificial intelligence with robotics.
Hyundai aims to maintain its global competitiveness through advances in robotics. Following the presentation, Hyundai Motor shares rose 8.4% to a record high in early trading in Seoul on January 6.
Competition in the humanoid robot segment is intensifying. In November, China’s Xpeng unveiled an updated version of its Iron robot, so realistic that it was cut open on stage to prove its authenticity. Tesla is developing its Optimus robot, which Elon Musk has said could become the “biggest product of all time” and eventually account for 80% of the company’s value. Hyundai said it expects humanoid robots to become “the largest segment of the physical AI market in the future” and plans to mass-produce Atlas and deploy it at scale across industrial sites.
The automotive industry has long relied on automation to cut costs and improve worker safety, while advances in AI are opening up new revenue streams and opportunities to enhance customer experience.
Hyundai launched its robotics lab in 2019 and acquired Boston Dynamics two years later, following the company’s commercial success with products such as a robotic guard dog and a mobile robotic arm. Hyundai plans to invest 125 trillion won ($86.3 billion) in artificial intelligence in South Korea over five years, as well as an additional $26 billion in the United States by 2028. Despite these multibillion-dollar investments and high-profile demonstrations, experts note that the practical usefulness of humanoid robots still lags behind the market hype, as current machines are largely limited to simple tasks in controlled environments.
