A robotic worker at Boston Dynamics... Is Hyundai close to deploying factory?

[Korea Financial Times, Gwak Horyung] Boston Dynamics, a specialized robotics affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, uploaded a video of its bipedal robot, All New Atlas, to its YouTube channel on October 30 (local time).

The All-New Atlas is the second generation of Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, which was first unveiled in April. Unlike the first generation, which was hydraulically powered, the second generation is electrically powered. The design adds a robotic head because “robots that don't look human can be intimidating,” according to the company.

In this 2-minute, 52-second video, the new Atlas moves an engine cover part from one storage bin to another.

The robot briefly reaches for the part it wants to move, then releases its hand and stares at it for about a second. Here we show a separate scene of digitally recognizing the part from the robot's perspective. The robot switches from a crouching position to a sitting position when it retrieves the lower part. Before it moves, it even turns its head 360 degrees to figure out where it needs to go. “It uses machine learning vision models to understand its environment and the location of objects,” Atlas explains.

The video also shows the robot misplacing a storage bin, failing to put a part in the right place at the right time, or moving in the opposite direction of where it needs to go and then turning around. The idea is to show that it can detect and react to these behavioral failures.


In addition, the top comments, which received between 5,000 and 6,000 recommendations, also included failed work videos, which received a series of favorable reviews. It is "proving that Atlas can be deployed directly to the scene" where unexpected variables occur.

Boston Dynamics emphasized that "all movements are not remotely controlled." The move seems to be conscious of suspicions that the Tesla robot Optimus, which appeared on foot at Tesla's robotaxi event in the middle of last month, was actually manipulated by humans.

The new Atlas could make its way into Hyundai and Kia factories in the next few years. “We are aiming to conduct technical verification at Hyundai Motor Group factories early next year,” Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Plater told foreign media. According to industry sources, the technology will be tested at Hyundai Motor Group's manufacturing innovation testbed, the HMGICS Singapore Global Innovation Center.



Gwak Horyung (horr@fntimes.com)