Hyundai Motor (005380) Group's humanoid robot Atlas has begun hands-on training ahead of its full deployment on production lines.
Boston Dynamics, the group's robotics affiliate, said on the 21st that it had opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia.
RMAC serves as a training ground where humanoid robots build up their skills before being deployed on automotive manufacturing floors. At the facility, which replicates the environment of an actual worksite, Atlas will learn a range of tasks needed on the factory floor, including preparation for logistics work and sequencing operations that arrange auto parts in the order required for assembly.
Atlas is set to join HMGMA's manufacturing processes starting in 2028, beginning with parts sorting and expanding its range of work to include parts assembly by 2030. The robot will also be equipped to handle high-intensity tasks such as repetitive motions and lifting heavy objects.
To accelerate Atlas training, Boston Dynamics plans to build a separate facility on the Metaplant site next year, expanding RMAC to roughly 10 times its current size.
Hyundai Motor Group has previously announced plans to progressively deploy 25,000 Atlas units at global worksites operated by Hyundai Motor and Kia, including HMGMA and its Georgia plant, within the next several years. To support that, the group intends to build a robot production facility in the United States with annual capacity of 30,000 units.
Through RMAC, Boston Dynamics will work to raise Atlas's automotive manufacturing capabilities while also conducting research aimed at extending its applications to other industries. The company is in talks on Atlas adoption with firms already using its four-legged robot Spot and logistics robot Stretch in fields ranging from manufacturing, including automobiles and semiconductors, to aerospace, logistics and food and beverage.
Global automakers are moving quickly to train humanoid robots based on physical artificial intelligence to automate manufacturing processes. Tesla is training its Optimus humanoid at its plant in Fremont, California. Japan's Toyota has also announced plans to progressively deploy 400,000 units of Ellie, a humanoid it developed in-house, at production sites starting in 2028.
"We have established a strategy to optimize Atlas's supply chain, production, testing and deployment capabilities," said Zach Jackowski, chief product and technology officer at Boston Dynamics. "RMAC is a space that reinforces our vision of a future in which robots carry out work more safely and productively while expanding human potential."
