Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics, Toyota team up for humanoid robots

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s No. 3 and No. 1 automakers, respectively, are teaming up via their affiliates to accelerate the development of humanoid robots with artificial intelligence.

Hyundai’s US robotics unit Boston Dynamics Inc. and Toyota Research Institute (TRI) said on Thursday they agreed to join forces, combining two of the world’s leaders in AI and robotics, to speed up the development of “general-purpose humanoid robots.”

The partnership will pair TRI’s expertise in large behavior model (LBM) learning for machines with Boston Dynamics’ humanoid Atlas robot, the companies said in a joint statement.

The cooperation between Toyota and Boston Dynamics will focus on fundamental research with an eye toward eventual commercial use.

Executives at the companies did not specify a timeline or disclose their budgets for the project.

“There has never been a more exciting time for the robotics industry, and we look forward to working with TRI to accelerate the development of general-purpose humanoids,” said Robert Playter, chief executive of Boston Dynamics.

“This partnership is an example of two companies with a strong research-and-development foundation coming together to work on many complex challenges and build useful robots that solve real-world problems.”

Gill Pratt, chief scientist for Toyota and CEO of TRI, said: “Recent advances in AI and machine learning hold tremendous potential for advancing physical intelligence. The opportunity to implement TRI’s state-of-the-art AI technology on Boston Dynamics’ hardware is game-changing for each of our organizations as we work to amplify people and improve quality of life.”

ROBOTICS TO ACCOUNT FOR A FIFTH OF HYUNDAI’S FUTURE BUSINESS

Hyundai Motor Group, which encompasses Hyundai Motor and sister firm Kia Corp., acquired Boston Dynamics, known for Spot, a maneuverable dog-like robot, humanoid robot Atlas and box-handling robot Stretch, in December 2020 to leverage its robotics technology in cars and other industrial areas.

Originally spun off as a research center from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992, Boston Dynamics has a longstanding reputation for creating groundbreaking advances in humanoids, from extreme mobility to bimanual manipulation.

Toyota Research Institute conducts research to amplify human ability.

TRI’s advancement in what’s known as diffusion policy has demonstrated a single AI technique can be used to teach a robot to do a wide range of individual tasks. Its next research focus involves creating large behavior models to allow a robot to learn many tasks simultaneously, according to the institute.

Hyundai Motor said it is shifting its business focus toward smart mobility from brick-and-mortar automaking following its acquisition of Boston Dynamics.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun said in 2021 that robotics will account for 20% of its future business, with automobiles taking up half of its sales, followed by urban air mobility (UAM) at 30%.

COLLABORATION TO BATTLE TESLA, FIGURE AI

The Hyundai-Toyota collaboration comes as a potential challenge to other smart bot programs such as the Optimus robot showcased by Tesla Inc. and humanoid robots by US robotics startup Figure AI Inc.

Carmakers have been at the vanguard of efforts to automate more assembly line processes to trim labor costs and bolster worker safety.

The automotive industry deploys more robots in factories globally than any other industry, with about one-quarter of new installations in 2023, Bloomberg News reported, citing the Frankfurt-based International Federation of Robotics.

In June, Tesla deployed two Optimus robots to its automobile factory to perform simple tasks.

In August, BMW Group piloted its humanoid robot Figure 02 at its US factory in South Carolina.

Hyundai Motor plans to deploy robots made by Boston Robotics at its plants worldwide in the near future.

HYUNDAI’S TIE-UPS WITH OTHER FIRMS

Hyundai has been seeking tie-ups with other companies in various sectors, including hydrogen and autonomous driving.

Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda will fly to Seoul later this month to meet with Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung, raising expectations of a deepening partnership between the world’s No. 1 and No. 3 auto groups in future mobility technology.

During his trip to Seoul, Toyoda plans to attend the Hyundai N x TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival, which will be held at Everland Speedway on the grounds of the theme park in Yongin on Oct. 27.

Sources said the two leaders will also discuss business cooperation, including on hydrogen vehicles.

Earlier this month, Hyundai signed a multi-year strategic partnership with Waymo LLC to jointly develop a Level 4 autonomous vehicle based on Hyundai’s all-electric crossover SUV, the IONIQ 5.

Write to Jung-Eun Shin at newyearis@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.