LAS VEGAS — Hyundai (005380.KS) is joining the global push into robotics, announcing at CES 2026 that it plans to set up a manufacturing system capable of producing thousands of robots per year by 2028.
Atlas is among the most advanced humanoid robots in the world. You’ve likely seen videos online of the bot doing everything from maneuvering obstacle courses to picking up heavy boxes.
Hyundai, which acquired a majority stake in Boston Dynamics in a 2021 deal that valued the company at $1.1 billion, said it will deploy Atlas in its facilities in 2028. The bot will focus on parts sequencing — ensuring vehicle parts are placed in the correct areas of a plant when they’re needed.
The company said that by 2030 it will begin using Atlas for more complex tasks, including component assembly, and eventually for jobs that involve repetitive motions or require heavy lifting and other tasks.
On the manufacturing front, Hyundai said it will leverage its Hyundai Mobis auto parts arm and Hyundai Glovis logistics firm to develop an end-to-end robotics value chain that will allow it to produce some 30,000 robots a year.
Part of the plan calls for Hyundai to expand its robotics as a service (RaaS) model, in which customers pay for subscription plans to use the Hyundai’s robots, to more companies.
Hyundai isn’t the only company looking to dominate the robotics space. Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is keen on making the automaker’s Optimus robots the go-to humanoid robots for businesses around the world.
Figure is developing humanoid robots for labor-intensive settings, the home, and outer space. Apptronik has its own Apollo humanoid bot, while Agility Robotics’ Digit is already being used in some Amazon (AMZN) warehouses.
1X Technologies is already offering its Neo home robot via a $499 per month subscription or $20,000 to own it outright.
China’s Unitree, meanwhile, sells its humanoid robot G1 for $13,500 and its more advanced H1 for $90,000.
Companies like Nvidia (NVDA), which has partnered with Hyundai, are also looking to physical AI and humanoid robotics as the next major breakthrough areas for their processing capabilities.
Manufacturing, logistics, and shipping firms have been using various robots for years, but humanoid bots are still a relatively new frontier. The idea is that humanoid robots will be able to slide into roles that are too dangerous or tedious for humans without requiring large-scale changes to things like factory floors.
Similarly, humanoid robots could prove helpful in hospital and care facilities.