[CES2022] Hyundai Motor "Combining Robots and New Services for a Better Life... Results Expected Around Next Year"

Hyun Dong-jin, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor Robotics Lab, and Mark Raibert, Chairman of Boston Dynamics, are standing next to future mobility and robotics products at the Hyundai Motor booth during CES 2022, held from the 5th to the 7th of this month (local time), explaining them.

[Las Vegas (USA) = Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Hyundai Motor Company’s joint project with robotics firm Boston Dynamics, which it completed acquiring in June last year, is expected to be unveiled as early as next year. The ambition is to create a better life for humanity by combining robotics with new services.

At a domestic press briefing held after the CES press conference on the 4th (local time), Hyun Dong-jin, head of Hyundai Motor Robotics Lab, and Mark Reibert, chairman of Boston Dynamics, spoke about this. This is the first time the heads of Korean-American robotics at Hyundai Motor Group have appeared together.

When reporters asked Chairman Reibert, "What is the robotics project jointly developed by Hyundai Motor and Boston Dynamics?" he refrained from giving specific details but said, "We will be able to provide concrete information around next year or the year after."

Mark Raibert, Chairman of Boston Dynamics, is answering questions from the press at a domestic press conference held on the 4th (local time) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, USA. Photo by Hyundai Motor Company

Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot is already working on security and hazard monitoring tasks at Kia’s Gwangmyeong plant.

Executive Director Hyun Dong-jin mentioned that Hyundai’s small mobility devices such as MobED, the freely movable Plug and Drive module (PnD module), and Drive and Lift (DnL module) showcased at CES 2022, which utilize MoT (Mobility of Things) technology, will incorporate Boston Dynamics’ technological capabilities into Hyundai’s future mobility technologies.

Regarding the mass production timeline for MoT, he said, "Physically, I expect MobED to take about two years," adding, "Among the things we need to prepare for during these two years, the main ones are durability, safety, and regulations. Especially regulations can extend the development period."

He also mentioned the potential combination of the metaverse and robotics. Executive Director Hyun said, "Robotics is a cyber-physical system (CPS) combining hardware and software, and the metaverse is also understood as a CPS. I see this as an ambitious vision and an initial stage of trying to connect these two worlds."

He continued, "In the future, the metaverse will ultimately involve digital twins, data science, and creating advantages in both the real and virtual worlds using these technologies, which Hyundai is preparing for," emphasizing, "We hope people look forward to it."

Hyun Dong-jin, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor Robotics Lab, is answering questions from the press at a domestic press briefing held on the 4th (local time) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, USA. Executive Director Hyun mentioned the potential of combining the metaverse and robotics. Photo by Hyundai Motor

During CES 2022, Hyundai announced that it will build a world-class metaverse-based digital virtual factory by the end of this year, coinciding with the completion of the Hyundai Motor Group Singapore Global Innovation Center (HMGICS).

To this end, Hyundai has also signed a strategic partnership with Unity, a global company specializing in building metaverse environments and real-time 3D content development and operation platforms, to establish future metaverse platforms and roadmaps.

Chairman Reibert also mentioned that there are already customers who want to integrate robots into the metaverse. He said, "Regarding the robots we currently use practically, we equip Spot with many sensors and send it to different locations, collecting data there and applying it to other environments. Rather than Boston Dynamics doing this directly, we supply Spot to companies aiming to implement digital twins to assist them. We supply Spot to at least about 12 companies."