Humanoids enter car plants
Hyundai prepares humanoid robots for vehicle production
The Hyundai Motor Group plans to deploy humanoid robots from Boston Dynamics in automotive manufacturing from 2028. The strategy combines scalable robot production, AI partnerships and service-based business models for industrial use.
The term 'manless factory' often circulates when discussing the future of the automotive industry. Currently in focus: humanoid robots. The Hyundai Motor Group is now aligning its new AI robotics strategy for use in production environments. The company announced at CES 2026 that it will gradually deploy humanoid robots in real factory environments and qualify them for series processes there. The goal is not only to demonstrate robotics but to integrate them on a large scale into existing production systems. Vehicle manufacturing serves as a training and learning environment where robots are to be further developed using real process data.
The focus is on the connection between artificial intelligence and robotics to create systems that can flexibly adapt to changing production requirements. Hyundai describes this approach as a software-defined factory, where data and software accompany the entire manufacturing process and are intended to enable both efficiency improvements and new levels of automation.
Atlas to begin work in Georgia from 2028
Specifically, Hyundai plans to deploy the humanoid robot Atlas from Boston Dynamics at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Savannah, Georgia, from 2028. There, Atlas is initially expected to take on tasks in parts sequencing. From 2030, if benefits in safety, quality, and process stability are confirmed, more complex assembly tasks could follow. In the long term, the robot is intended to be capable of being used in entire production facilities.
Atlas is designed for industrial use. Joints and extensive sensors enable the robot to move in complex factory environments and perform repetitive tasks. It has human-sized hands with tactile sensors, can move loads of up to 50 kilograms, and is both water and weather resistant. The operating range extends from minus 20 to plus 40 degrees Celsius, which is intended to enable operation in different production environments.
Zachary Jackowski, vice president and general manager of Atlas at Boston Dynamics, put the development into perspective and said: "The merging of robotics and artificial intelligence is more than a technological advancement. It is a fundamental innovation that aims to make human life safer and more productive."
Scaling production and assessing market economics
Hyundai aims not only to use humanoid robotics but also to scale it industrially. The company plans to build a production system with a capacity of up to 30,000 robots per year. Analysts at Morgan Stanley Research predict the market for humanoid robotics to reach a volume of around five trillion US dollars by the year 2050. For the period around 2028, when Hyundai plans to start scalable production, a unit price of about 150,000 US dollars is expected.
Morgan Stanley assumes that humanoid robots are likely to be used primarily for structured, repetitive, and industrial tasks in the coming decades. Acceptance will initially develop slowly and then accelerate significantly from the late 2030s. Car manufacturers could play a key role in this, as they both have a need for such systems and have experience in building complex machines.
Robotics combines many different areas of machine learning, from perception to multimodal understanding to advanced thinking and planning. Especially in the real world, it is becoming one of the most demanding applications of AI
Training centers, AI partners and service models
To qualify the robots for industrial use, Hyundai plans to open a Robot Metaplant Application Centre in the USA this year. There, humanoid robots will learn movement sequences such as lifting, turning, and gripping and be trained for specific production tasks. The goal is to train Atlas for highly repetitive tasks by 2028 and gradually deploy it for assembly work by 2030.
For technological advancement, Hyundai relies on partnerships with leading AI companies. Nvidia is to provide the necessary AI infrastructure, while Google DeepMind, together with Boston Dynamics, is working on the next generation of humanoid robots. Carolina Parada, senior director and head of robotics at Google DeepMind, said: "Robotics combines many different areas of machine learning, from perception to multimodal understanding to advanced thinking and planning. Especially in the real world, it is becoming one of the most demanding applications of AI."
In parallel, Hyundai plans to offer the robots through a robotics-as-a-service model. The subscription is intended to include maintenance, software updates, hardware scaling, and remote monitoring, thereby lowering investment barriers for industrial customers. According to the company, this could reduce upfront costs and alleviate concerns regarding maintenance and operation.
Humanoid robotics gains momentum across the industry
Hyundai is not the only car manufacturer examining humanoid robotics for production. BMW, Mercedes-Benz , and Tesla are also exploring the use of human-like robots for logistics, transport, and manufacturing tasks. Suppliers are also positioning themselves in this field. Schaeffler, for example, plans to introduce drive solutions specifically developed for humanoid robots, transferring know-how from automotive technology to new applications.
Industry-wide, the focus is on robotic systems that do not work in isolated cells but can be directly integrated into existing production lines. The focus is on tasks that are currently physically demanding, repetitive, or ergonomically challenging and can be more flexibly automated through humanoid robotics.
