Hyundai Motor Accelerates Full Throttle on Future Mobility Including Robots and UAM

Boston Dynamics' robot dog 'Spot'

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Hyundai Motor Group is making aggressive strides not only in automobiles but also in future mobility sectors such as robotics, urban air mobility (UAM), and autonomous vehicles.

According to industry sources on the 2nd, Boston Dynamics, a U.S. robotics company, recently signed a partnership with IBM to enhance efficiency in industrial sites using robotic dogs.

Boston Dynamics, acquired by Hyundai Motor Group at the end of last year, is famous for its quadruped robot called ‘Spot.’ Together with IBM, Boston Dynamics is expected to deploy Spot in industrial sites to improve worker safety, optimize site operations, and assist with maintenance.

Spot is already expanding its operational areas, including deployment in domestic factories. Kia recently introduced Spot at its Gwangmyeong plant, assigning it the role of detecting hazards and ensuring safety within the factory. The security robot equipped with AI-based software from Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics Lab autonomously inspects designated areas during early morning hours after workers have left.

Boston Dynamics’ robotics technology is already world-class and is expected to play a key role in Hyundai Motor Group’s future growth engines. Earlier, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung emphasized at a 2019 town hall meeting that "50% of the group’s future business will be automobiles, 30% UAM, and 20% robotics."

Hyundai Motor is also accelerating its UAM business by participating in the public-private urban air mobility council, ‘UAM Team Korea.’ Following the establishment of a local subsidiary worth 200 billion KRW in Washington D.C., USA, Hyundai has been focusing on overseas market development by building collaborative systems with the city of Los Angeles.

Hyundai plans to launch a fully electrified UAM optimized for urban operations by 2028 and introduce regional air mobility products connecting neighboring cities by 2030.

Visible progress is also being made in autonomous driving. In September, at ‘IAA Mobility 2021’ held in Germany, Hyundai unveiled the actual model of a robo-taxi jointly developed with Motional, based on the dedicated electric vehicle Ioniq 5, for the first time.

Motional is an autonomous driving joint venture established in 2019 with Aptiv in the U.S. Hyundai plans to supply Ioniq 5 robo-taxis to the ride-sharing company Lyft in 2023 through Motional. The Ioniq 5 robo-taxi is equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving technology based on the SAE standards, enabling fully driverless autonomous operation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.