A robot sprays water on plants at Hyundai Motor Group's headquarters in southern Seoul on May 14. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]
Robot dogs, robot gardeners and robot deliverers — the presence of wheeled AI may soon become an everyday scene for staff at Hyundai Motor Group’s headquarters. For laymen, however, it’s a glimpse into their future.
By Thursday, Hyundai Motor’s office in southern Seoul had been completely transformed into a live robotics showroom. A robot gardener rolled through the lobby of the automaker’s headquarters on wheels, extending a metal arm to spray water on plants; nearby, a robotic dog zigzagged between employees as it patrolled.
With three different AI-powered service robots — the plant-watering DAL-e Gardener, the autonomous courier DAL-e Delivery and three of the four-legged dogs Spot — roaming the office, the newly renovated space had transformed into a live testing ground for the group’s robotics ambitions and physical AI.
This experiment is part of Hyundai’s broader drive to move beyond traditional automaking and into robotics, software and AI-driven mobility.
DAL-e Gardener, equipped with cameras and lidar sensors, identifies the location of office plants and maps its surroundings in real time. The robot waters the plant with its arm, which can rotate and move vertically, allowing it to spray water precisely where needed. When its water tank runs low, it autonomously connects to the building’s water supply system to refill.
DAL-e Delivery ferries drinks made at a cafe on the first floor to employees across the building. It navigates crowded office spaces, avoiding obstacles, and uses facial recognition technology to verify recipients’ identities before completing deliveries. Through a mobile app, Hyundai employees can request the robotic courier to deliver up to 16 beverages at once.
From left: plant-watering DAL-e Gardener, autonomous courier DAL-e Delivery and four-legged robot Spot [HYUNDAI MOTOR/KIA]
The three Spot robot dogs, each equipped with Hyundai Motor and Kia Robotics Lab’s autonomous navigation module, dutifully inspect the building. When their batteries run out, they independently return to their charging station on the first floor. Once recharged, they return to their work.
This robotics showcase was part of a town-hall meeting on Thursday, marking the completion of a 23-months-long renovation.
“If the work environment changes, the way in which people work will also change,” Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung said, stressing “active coordination between employees.”
“Although it would be easier to install sprinklers to water the plants, we should be different because we are a robotics company,” he added.
The four-legged patrol robot Spot inspects the indoor space of Hyundai Motor Group's headquarters in southern Seoul on May 14. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]
“We need to fully
test
these robots internally before introducing them to customers, so we’ll continue using them extensively,” Chung told reporters. “We also plan to bring in additional types of robots and conduct more diverse tests going forward.”
Chung also addressed intensifying competition among foreign automakers — such as Tesla from the United States or BYD from China — in the EV sector.
“The goal is to create products and features that customers genuinely want,” Chung said. “No matter which company it is, if there’s something worth learning [from one of them], then we should. It certainly adds pressure, but I believe that it’s also an opportunity for us to learn and grow.”
Regarding autonomous driving, Chung promised that Hyundai would prioritize making its products reliable over rapidly expanding its presence in the market.
“Tesla and Chinese automakers are moving quickly, but we intend to focus on safety, even if we have to move more slowly [than they do],” Chung said. “From the customer’s perspective, if a feature malfunctions, they may never want to use it again.”
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung speaks during a ceremony to mark the completion of workspace renovation at the corporate headquarters in southern Seoul on May 14. [NEWS1]
“Chinese consumers have a considerable interest in technology, and the state support there is substantial,” Chung said while recalling his experience at Auto China 2026 in Beijing. “Everything is moving faster there than it is for us, and there’s clearly a lot we can learn from them.”
As Hyundai accelerates its expansion into robotics, Chung acknowledged that
the company is still adapting after decades spent focused primarily on vehicles.
“We’re still going through trials and errors,” he said. “The balance between hardware and software is critical, and we’re paying close attention to how employee culture and organizational values integrate with those changes.”
On labor relations, Chung described unions and management as “long-term partners” whose interests ultimately align with the company’s future growth.
“The company needs to grow, shareholders matter, and so does the broader economy,” he said. “Korea’s experience with capitalism is still relatively short, so we’re inevitably going through a period of adjustment. But if we navigate it wisely, it could become an opportunity for us to take the lead globally.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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