Hyundai Plans Atlas Factory Deployment and 30,000-Unit Output by 2028 while Tesla Is Scaling Optimus Production Lines as Both Firms Target Industrial Use First
The gymnastics movements of the humanoid robot Atlas, revealed by Boston Dynamics through its YouTube channel on November 5 (local time).
The humanoid robot competition is shifting beyond the demonstration stage to a race for mass production and factory deployment. Hyundai Motor Group and Tesla, which previously clashed in the electric vehicle market, are now fostering robots that walk like humans, move objects, and are deployed in production sites as their next-generation growth engines. The key is no longer who can show a more plausible robot, but who can first turn it into a profitable industry that reduces costs inside factories.
According to the industry on May 20, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled a roadmap for the mass production of Atlas, the internal production of its parts, and its deployment in Hyundai Motor and Kia factories in the United States at the JP Morgan IR Conference held in Boston, the United States, on November 18 (local time). Major affiliates including Hyundai Motor, Kia, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, Hyundai AutoEver, and Boston Dynamics participated to present the robotics industrialization strategy at the group level.
Why would an automobile company invest in a robot that walks like a human? The quickest answer can be found inside the factory. Automakers possess an industrial ecosystem specialized in mass production, parts procurement, quality control, software control, and cost reduction. If robots can replace the repetitive tasks of lifting, moving, and assembling performed by humans, automobile factories become the very first stage where humanoids can prove their economic viability.
Hyundai Motor Group is not the only one eyeing this market. Tesla also announced that it is installing an Optimus production line in preparation for mass production.
However, the strategies of the two companies are different. Hyundai Motor Group’s approach is to secure its internal production sites as initial demand sources prior to external sales. The group aims to establish a mass production system for 30,000 robots a year in 2028 and plans to sequentially deploy more than 25,000 units of Atlas to Hyundai Motor and Kia factories.
The deployment of Atlas is scheduled to begin first at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA). The plan is to then expand the scope of application to the Kia Georgia plant in the second half of 2029. With the humanoid market not yet fully opened, the strategy is to use internal factories as testing grounds to verify the unit cost of mass production and the possibility of recovering investments.
Tesla is also currently in the stage of verifying Optimus in internal facilities such as factories in the early phase. In the long term, however, it aims to expand the scope of application to industrial sites and everyday areas.
Professor Lee Ho-geun of the Department of Automotive Engineering at Daeduk University explained that the difference between the two robots should be viewed as a ‘difference in destination’ rather than a ‘competitive relationship.’ Professor Lee said, “Tesla’s Optimus is closer to a robot that resembles a human, and Hyundai Motor’s Atlas is closer to a robot that does work the best,” adding, “Simply put, if Optimus is heading in the direction of researching how to pick up an egg, Atlas is researching how to tighten a screw.”
He continued to explain, “Optimus aims to be a general-purpose robot that uses human daily tools as they are, such as making five fingers similar to a human’s to pick up an egg or help with household chores,” while noting, “On the other hand, for Atlas, it can be more efficient to attach electric screwdrivers, welders, or tongs with a strong grip depending on the purpose of the process.”
He also evaluated, “Atlas has a structure similar to humans, but for work efficiency, it can also utilize movements that exceed the range of motion of human joints,” stating, “While Tesla aims for a humanoid robot that will be universally used in daily life, Hyundai Motor Group’s is an industry-specialized robot designed to maximize production efficiency in factories.”
Such a difference in goals also leads to a difference in technical strengths. Atlas’s strengths are considered to be the full-body control and physical task capabilities that Boston Dynamics has accumulated. Even in a recently released video, Atlas demonstrated its ability to handle heavy objects and control its posture beyond simple walking by lifting and moving a small refrigerator weighing around 23kg. In places where labor intensity is high and the work environment is demanding, like automobile production sites, full-body work capabilities that utilize not only the arms but also the knees, waist, upper body rotation, and balance control together are crucial.
On the other hand, Tesla’s strategy can be seen as developing Optimus into a ‘general-purpose platform where AI observes, learns, and performs various tasks.’ The company is transplanting camera-based recognition, deep learning, computer vision, and motion planning technologies accumulated during the autonomous driving development process into the humanoid, and is strengthening the method of collecting human work scenes through video so that the robot can learn movements. Just as it improved software performance by accumulating driving data from cars, the plan is to accumulate work data for robots and expand them into factories, homes, and service areas.
The methods of lowering costs also differ. Hyundai Motor Group is bringing the core parts of Atlas into the group. Hyundai Mobis plans to build an actuator production facility in the United States with a scale of more than 350,000 units a year. The actuator is a driving component that acts as the joint of a humanoid and is a core part that determines the robot’s performance and manufacturing cost.
Hyundai Glovis and Hyundai AutoEver are also entering the Atlas industrialization system. Hyundai Glovis will take charge of the supply chain connecting procurement and sales as well as the logistics site testbed, while Hyundai AutoEver will be responsible for advancing robot intelligence based on site data and integrating the smart factory system. It is a structure where Boston Dynamics builds the robot’s body, Hyundai Mobis handles the joints, and Hyundai Glovis and Hyundai AutoEver attach the operational network.
Tesla is trying to increase the possibility of mass-producing Optimus within its own manufacturing system. The plan is to apply the method of lowering costs by integrating batteries, motors, software, and manufacturing processes in electric vehicles to humanoids as well.
Cost competitiveness is a key variable for the commercialization of humanoids for both companies. In the industry, analysis suggests that if the production volume of Atlas increases to the level of 50,000 units, the production cost per unit could drop to the level of $30,000. Tesla has also mentioned the level of $20,000 to $30,000 as its long-term sales price target for Optimus.
Professor Kim Pil-soo of the Department of Future Automotive Engineering at Daelim University explained, “The curve of price drops will vary depending on the production volume,” adding, “Because the roles and application areas are different, it is difficult to make a simple comparison based solely on price.”
He added, “It must be considered that the price target proposed by Tesla is likely to change during the actual mass production process,” stating, “In terms of production timing and pricing, Hyundai Motor Group’s roadmap is more concrete.”
He also emphasized, “In industrial environments where labor intensity is strong or 24-hour work is required, and in environments with significant space constraints, I believe Atlas will excel more in its specialized working abilities,” adding, “Atlas is more advantageous in streamlining high-intensity work at production sites.”
Michael Herh
댓글
0