Hyundai Motor wants to bring 25,000 Atlas humanoid robots onto its assembly lines by 2030. The machines come from Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of the group, and would be spread across Hyundai and Kia sites, according to heise. The carmaker is aiming for fully automated assembly of automotive parts, with robots taking on the heavy physical tasks currently handled by human operators.
This is a stated target, not a deployment already under way. So far, only part of the plan has started operating.
Atlas training center near Savannah, Georgia
To prepare Atlas for factory work, Boston Dynamics has opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) on the grounds of the group’s Metaplant America, near Savannah in the US state of Georgia. heise online describes it as a kind of boot camp for humanoid robots, where tests and training procedures for physical artificial intelligence and commercial robotics are carried out.
At the site, Atlas robots are already performing real automotive industry tasks: sorting parts, sequencing and logistics operations. Hyundai highlights their use for dangerous, heavy, repetitive and exhausting work. More complex assignments involving advanced manufacturing processes are mentioned for later.
RMAC expansion and US robot production plans
The RMAC is expected to be significantly expanded in 2027. A tenfold increase in its floor space is under consideration, according to the article. Testing with Atlas robots would then extend to sectors beyond the automotive industry.
To build a fleet of this size and meet demand, the Hyundai group wants to set up its own robot production in the United States. Current plans call for assembling up to 30,000 Atlas robots per year there.
Kia union raises concerns over jobs
Reducing the physical burden on operators will not come without job cuts. Kia’s union has already asked the company to appoint an officer responsible for protecting employees’ rights against the effects of artificial intelligence and robotics, according to heise online. Hyundai, for its part, is trying to play down fears of workforce reductions and points to the human staff that operating and maintaining the Atlas fleet will require.
Further reading: Boston Dynamics Atlas: profile and Hyundai pilot · Boston Dynamics: Atlas, Spot, Stretch and Hyundai
Figure melts down most of its F.02 robots in Finland, on an idea from Arnold Schwarzenegger