From robot stunts to real work: Atlas prepares to build Hyundai cars

Once known for flashy stunts, humanoid robot Atlas is now hard at work training for a very different role — building cars.

Boston Dynamics unveiled "Inside the Robotics Race," a documentary jointly produced with Hyundai Motor Group and Bloomberg Media Studios, on Wednesday.

In the clip, Atlas stops in front of a car and bends at the waist. It grips a wheel and tire with both hands, then hoists them into the air. At a workbench, it picks up components and moves them from one place to another. Around the vehicle, it works alongside another Atlas robot. Researchers standing nearby watch monitors and closely track the robots’ every movement.

The documentary was filmed at the Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Ellabell, Georgia. The center, which began operations in September, trains Atlas to perform tasks required in automotive manufacturing and tests its capabilities before deploying the robot to actual production lines.

The RMAC shown in the video is set up to resemble a real manufacturing environment, with vehicle bodies, parts racks and workbenches. Atlas moves through the facility, repeatedly practicing how to pick up and transport objects. The footage also shows the robot handling heavy objects such as wheels and tires and multiple Atlas robots working in the same space.

Boston Dynamics chose automotive manufacturing as the first application for Atlas because the industry demands high levels of safety and reliability. After validating the robot’s performance in real-world manufacturing environments, the company intends to expand its use to other industries, including food and beverages and semiconductors.

AI plays a central role in helping Atlas master unfamiliar tasks. The robot combines its ability to maintain balance and control its arms and legs with the ability to understand instructions and determine what to do next. Rather than relying on the conventional approach of programming individual movements one by one, AI allows Atlas to learn a range of tasks and adapt to changes in its surroundings.

Collecting real-world data is another key role of the RMAC. Boston Dynamics said physical AI, much like large language models, becomes more capable as it gains access to more data, so real-world experience outside the lab is crucial for Atlas.

Efforts are also underway to bring down costs ahead of mass production. Boston Dynamics said it has reduced the cost of some components by 60 to 80 percent as it transitions Atlas from a prototype to a mass-produced product.

Hyundai Motor Group intends to build a facility in the United States capable of producing up to 30,000 robots annually and eventually deploy 25,000 Atlas robots across its operations worldwide.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]