Hyundai paints a robotic future at CES 2026 — yet a reassuring one

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Hyundai paints a robotic future at CES 2026 — yet a reassuring one

Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 11:53 Updated: 06 Jan. 2026, 19:53

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Atlas humanoid robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, greets visitors during a main presentation by Hyundai Motor Group at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. [SARAH CHEA]

LAS VEGAS — Five four-legged robot dogs danced to K-pop, performing dazzling backflips. A humanoid robot, walking almost indistinguishably from a human, appeared next, twisting its body in a bow of greeting.

Against the majestic backdrop of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, amid the spectacle and swagger of CES, Hyundai Motor Group offered a quiet yet profoundly consequential vision of the future — one in which robots do not replace humans, but stand beside them.

Korea’s largest automaker on Monday lifted the cover of the much-anticipated Atlas humanoid robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, marking a decisive shift in strategy as it positions itself as a robotics firm, following a path reminiscent of Tesla’s all-in bet on Optimus humanoid robot.

“Our focus is on assigning robots to repetitive and dangerous work to enhance productivity, while exploring how to build and sustain a competitive robotics ecosystem,” Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon said during an interview at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas.

Spot robot dog, developed by Boston Dynamics, dances at a main presentation by Hyundai Motor Group for the CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. [SARAH CHEA]

The latest Atlas humanoid robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, appeared at its debut stage at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Robots take tough jobs

The ultimate aim of the Atlas humanoid is not to replace human workers, but to take on tasks that are difficult, repetitive, heavy or hazardous — helping to create safer and more sustainable working conditions on factory floors.

Hyundai unveiled two versions of the robot: the Atlas Prototype and the Atlas Product Model, where the prototype is a research-and-development platform, built to test core technologies essential for future products. Equipped with fully rotating 360-degree joints and capable of natural, human-like walking, it serves as a critical stepping stone toward the next generation of humanoid robots.

From left, Merry Frayne, director of Spot Product Management at Boston Dynamics, Carolina Parada, head of Robotics at Google DeepMind, Alberto Rodriguez, director of Atlas Behavior at Boston Dynamics, Robert Playter, Boston Dynamics CEO, Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon, Aya Durbin, humanoid application product lead at Boston Dynamics, Zachary Jackowski, general manager of Atlas at Boston Dynamics, Lee Woong-jae, vice president of manufacturing division at Hyundai Motor Group, and Woo Seung-hyun, future strategy team lead at Hyundai Motor Group, pose for a photo after Hyundai's presentation for the CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The Atlas product is designed for real-world industrial deployment. With 56 degrees of freedom, and featuring human-sized hands embedded with tactile sensors, most of its joints can rotate fully, maximizing flexibility and efficiency in manufacturing environments.

Atlas has joints that can move 360 degrees, and can lift payloads of up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) and reach heights of 2.3 meters (7 feet, 6 inches). It can operate reliably in temperatures ranging from minus 20 to 40 degrees Celsius (minus 4 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and is water-resistant and washable.

Designed as an industrial robot capable of performing a wide range of tasks — from material handling to precision assembly — it can learn most functions within a single day. When its battery runs low, it can autonomously navigate to a charging station, swap its battery and resume work immediately.

“The greatest strength of Atlas lies in its exceptional adaptability across applications,” Chung said. “The second is durability. Leveraging Hyundai Motor Group’s technological assets and purchasing power, we plan to further strengthen its competitiveness.”

The Atlas will be officially deployed starting in 2028 at Hyundai Motor’s EV megaplant in Georgia for tasks such as parts sequencing, and will expand the tasks to parts assembly starting in 2030.

Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon speaks about his plans for robots during an interview at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Boosting research, investment

Hyundai will open its first-ever Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) in the United States later this year, a facility designed to enable the efficient deployment of humanoid robots in real-world manufacturing environments.

RMAC will serve as a hub for robot data collection, discovery and performance validation, where robots are trained to work alongside humans, where they will be evolved to become faster, more intelligent, and safer before being deployed at scale.

“First, we establish fundamental robotic behaviors through teleoperation and similar methods, then aggregate those behaviors and refine them through simulation, where the data is carefully quantified,” said Jung Jun-cheul, head of manufacturing at Hyundai Motor Group.

“We then feed that data back into the robots, recreating real-world working environments and training them through repeated iterations. Through this three-step process, we develop and train task capabilities, evaluate levels of performance and safety and only then deploy the robots on factory floors.”

The latest Atlas humanoid robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, appeared at its debut stage at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai plans to invest $26 billion in the United States over four years starting in 2025, including the construction of a robotics manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of up to 30,000 robots.

Hyundai Motor and Kia will contribute manufacturing infrastructure, process control expertise, and production data, while its parts affiliate Hyundai Mobis will lead the development of high-precision actuators, and Hyundai Glovis will focus on optimizing logistics and supply-chain flows.

The automaker also introduced a one-stop Robots-as-a-Service model, allowing customers to deploy robots through subscriptions or usage-based fees rather than upfront purchases in an aim to reduce initial costs or barriers.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]