Hyundai Motor Group to Deploy 25,000 "Robot Employees" at Auto Plants

Hyundai Motor Group Unveils Robotics Strategy

Actuator Production Facility to Be Built in the US

Annual Production of 30,000 Units in the US by 2028

Hyundai Motor Group will deploy more than 25,000 units of its subsidiary Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot "Atlas" at Hyundai Motor and Kia's automobile production sites. The group plans to establish a mass production system for its robotics business, spearheaded by Atlas.

According to the industry, Hyundai Motor Group held an overseas investor relations (IR) event on robotics strategy on the 18th (local time) at the Westin Boston Seaport District in the United States. Six group companies participated in the event: Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, Hyundai AutoEver, and Boston Dynamics. The event was attended by Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Jang Jaehoon, Executive Vice President for Global Strategy Organization (GSO) Kim Heungsoo, and Amanda McMaster, interim CEO of Boston Dynamics, among others.

Boston Dynamics released a video of its humanoid robot Atlas on the 19th. In the video, Atlas is moving a 23 kg refrigerator onto a table. Boston Dynamics YouTube

At the event, Executive Vice President Kim stated that more than 25,000 units of Atlas would be deployed at Hyundai Motor and Kia's production sites. The strategy is to secure initial demand within the group before external sales, thereby eliminating the uncertainty of early market entry.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to begin deploying Atlas at Meta Plant America (HMGMA) in 2028 and expand its deployment to the Kia Georgia plant in the second half of 2029. In the initial phase of Atlas mass production, the production cost per unit is 140,000 dollars (about 200 million won), but if production exceeds 50,000 units, the cost will decrease to 30,000 dollars (about 45 million won) per unit. By deploying Atlas at Hyundai Motor and Kia factories, the group aims to achieve economies of scale quickly.

Furthermore, Hyundai Motor Group announced that it will operate an actuator production facility in the United States with an annual capacity of 350,000 units starting in 2028. Actuators, which function as the joints of robots, account for 60% of the total manufacturing cost of humanoids. The facility will be operated by Hyundai Mobis, a group affiliate. It will serve as a mass production platform capable of flexibly manufacturing various types of robots, with an initial annual production capacity of 30,000 units. The strategy is to extend the manufacturing expertise built in automotive mass production to the robotics field. It is expected that each Atlas unit will be equipped with about 10 actuators.

On this day, Boston Dynamics released a video showing Atlas lifting and moving an entire refrigerator. The video has been evaluated as demonstrating Atlas's ability to control its entire body while handling external objects. There is also analysis that the timing of Atlas's deployment to production sites is approaching. Atlas can handle objects weighing up to 50kg and has a work range of about 2.3 meters. It is equipped with a 360-degree camera view and tactile sensing capabilities, supports IP67 dust and water resistance, and operates within a temperature range from minus 20 to 40 degrees Celsius.

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