Hyundai to deploy 25,000 Atlas robots from Boston Dynamics in factories

The Hyundai Motor Group intends to deploy approximately 25,000 humanoid robots of the “Atlas” type from its subsidiary Boston Dynamics in Hyundai and Kia's US automotive plants. Hyundai announced this during an investor event hosted by the globally active investment bank JPMorgan Chase, as reported by The Korea Times on Tuesday. According to the report, the automotive group also plans to mass-produce the Atlas robots themselves as well as actuators.

Approximately 30,000 humanoid Atlas robots are to be built annually. Hyundai plans to achieve this production capacity by 2028. In addition to the robots, actuators for the robots' joints are also to be manufactured. Hyundai mentions an output of about 300,000 units per year here. It is unclear whether these are actuators for Hyundai's own Atlas robots or if they will also be produced for other companies.

Hyundai has not disclosed a precise timeline for this to investors. The group also did not name the specific manufacturing sites where the robots are to be produced.

Hyundai wants to integrate the finished Atlas robots into its production processes as quickly as possible to accelerate manufacturing in its automotive plants, scale processes more effectively, and presumably, produce more affordably.

As early as April 2025, Hyundai had announced its intention to purchase tens of thousands of Atlas robots from Boston Dynamics over a period of several years. Last year, Hyundai intensified its efforts to initially integrate humanoid Atlas robots into automotive production on a trial basis. The robots are being trained to independently perform even complex manufacturing processes. Initially, however, they are intended to take over simple, heavy, and repetitive tasks, such as sorting components.

Unions protest vehemently

However, the union at Hyundai Motors views this development with concern. It fears that the deployment of Atlas robots planned from 2028 onwards at the Hyundai Motor Group Megaplant America (HMGMA) in the US state of Georgia will lead to the irreversible loss of human jobs. The union does not believe the company's promises that alternative jobs will be created. It rather suspects that the job losses are intended to reduce production costs in the long term. The union also fears that production capacities could shift further to the USA, weakening domestic production in South Korea.

(olb)