[The Editors' Verdict] The Questions Raised by 'Skilled Worker' Atlas and 'Entertainment Robot' G1

At one corner of the CES 2026 exhibition hall, the world’s largest electronics and IT show, a humanoid robot stepped into a ring crowded with spectators. The G1 from China’s Unitree took up a guard stance like a real boxer, putting pressure on its opponent. As music played, it showcased dance moves more flexible than a human, utilizing its joints capable of 360-degree rotation. The audience was amazed by the bold movements of this robot, which carried a striking price tag of $16,000. The booth was packed with people.

In contrast, the Atlas at Hyundai Motor’s booth was stoic. Instead of a flashy show, it followed a set trajectory, picking up automotive parts and maintaining its posture even when obstacles were introduced. While the Chinese robot performed like a celebrity, Hyundai’s robot evoked the image of a skilled worker quietly dedicated to their task.

Hyundai Motor Group Humanoid Atlas. Yonhap News Agency

The contrast between these two robots represents the different choices companies are making as they search for solutions to commercialize humanoids. Atlas was designed from the outset for industrial settings. In manufacturing, spectacle or flexibility is not what matters most. The key is how accurately repetitive tasks are performed and whether balance is maintained even in unexpected situations. The impression Atlas left on the floor was that of equipment ready for immediate deployment, rather than a demonstration robot.

The capital market responded positively to Atlas. This is because it has a clear purpose and is a robot that can actually generate revenue. Atlas is evaluated not as a showpiece, but as a robot that can be integrated into processes to create profit.

However, reflecting on the significance of both robots outside the exhibition hall brings new concerns. Unitree released the G1 at around 22 million won and fully opened its software development kit. Rather than offering a finished robot for a specific process, they positioned it as a starting point that anyone can modify. This is a strategy that leaves the door open for external parties to define the robot’s applications, rather than having the company dictate its use.

This choice is not immediately aligned with industrial utility. However, it is even more threatening because the evolution of the robot has been handed over from inside the company to the outside world. As countless developers and users begin to interact with, modify, and change the robot’s algorithms in their own environments, the pace of change moves beyond what any single company can control. It is no longer a competition to achieve perfection, but the beginning of infinite robot tuning powered by collective intelligence.

Unitree G1 Waving Its Hand. Photo by Yonhap News

Although their directions differ, both robots face distinct challenges in the next stage toward commercialization. The challenge for Atlas lies outside of technology. The more the strategy is based on integration into production processes, the more it directly confronts the interests at the manufacturing site. The strong opposition from Hyundai Motor’s labor union, which insists that not a single robot should be introduced to the production line, illustrates this reality. As robots resembling skilled workers take on more roles in the process, technological progress naturally leads to questions about how human jobs and industrial structures will be reorganized.

Unitree, too, is not standing on an easy or lightweight testbed. The key issue is how its strategy of openness and collective intelligence will connect with real industrial demand, and when and how robots that have undergone countless experiments and modifications will become reliable products. As the pace of evolution accelerates, the issues of control and responsibility become even clearer. The technology that most closely resembles humans now asks us, beyond performance, what kind of social choices we are willing to make.