Hyundai Motor Co’s robotics unit released a video showing its production-ready Atlas humanoid robot performing complex gymnastics, marking a first-of-its-kind live demonstration that could signal the machine is nearing commercialisation.
In footage uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday by Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai acquired in 2021, Atlas executes a handstand and transitions into an "L-sit” – supporting its entire body weight on its hands – going beyond the backflips or parkour seen in earlier prototypes. The manoeuvre showcases balance and joint control beyond human skeletal limits, pointing to the stability and precision Hyundai aims to bring to complex industrial tasks on its assembly lines.
The robot features human-scale hands with tactile sensing and fully rotational joints, can lift up to 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and operate in temperatures ranging from -4F (-20C) to 104F (40C), according to Hyundai.
The video marks the first live demonstration of the robot’s mass-produced version in motion, and is perhaps the clearest evidence yet that Hyundai is nearing commercial scale for its humanoid production, according to Yoo Jiwoong, an analyst at DAOL Investment & Securities.
Commercialisation is central to Hyundai’s push to become a mobility solutions provider amid upheaval in the global auto industry due to tariffs and Chinese competition. It plans to deploy Atlas at its manufacturing plants starting in 2028, including in the US state of Georgia. Hyundai has pumped billions of dollars into its robotics business, but competition could prove fierce in the humanoid market too – Chinese manufacturers currently dominate, and Tesla Inc, which is developing its long-promised Optimus robot, has also joined the race.
Boston Dynamics noted the challenge of the transition from lab to factory in an X post: "Balancing commercial goals and robotics research can be tricky, but with Atlas we’re making it work.” – Bloomberg
