Massachusetts-headquartered Boston Dynamics has unveiled the latest version of the humanoid robot Atlas at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) held in Las Vegas this week, with Hyundai Motor Group announcing plans to deploy it across its operations.

The general purpose Atlas humanoid robot has been designed for industrial applications, including materials handling, and features advanced rotational joints and sensors, allowing it to navigate complex industrial environments, perform repetitive tasks, and leverage AI-driven learning to quickly adapt to new roles.

Drawing on decades of research from Boston Dynamics, Atlas stands at 1.9m tall, has a weight capacity of 50kg and a sustained weight capacity of 30kg, features a continuous range of motion and has a 2.3m reach.

“Hyundai Motor Group expects humanoids to become the largest segment of the Physical AI market in the future and has set a goal to mass-produce the Atlas product model, deploying units at scale across industrial sites as production-ready humanoid robots,” Hyundai Motor Group states.

“To achieve this, the group plans to integrate Atlas across its global network, including Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Savannah, Georgia, enabling it to perform real-world tasks on-site.

“The group will gradually expand the deployment of Atlas robots through process-by-process validation. Beginning in 2028, Atlas will be introduced on processes with proven safety and quality benefits, such as parts sequencing. 

“By 2030, applications will extend to component assembly, and over time, Atlas will also take on tasks involving repetitive motions, heavy loads, and other complex operations — ensuring safer working environments for factory employees. 

“As its performance is validated, the group aims to progressively scale adoption across entire production sites.”

Hyundai says its partnership with Boston Dynamics exemplifies its vision for “human-centred automation”, where people maintain full control while fostering a harmonious collaboration between humans and robots.