South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation, the world’s third and largest automakers, respectively, are partnering through affiliates to accelerate the development of humanoid robots equipped with artificial intelligence.
Hyundai’s U.S. robotics arm Boston Dynamics and Toyota Research Institute (TRI) announced on Thursday that the two world leaders in AI and robotics are partnering to accelerate the development of “general purpose humanoid robots.” announced that they had agreed.
The partnership will combine TRI’s expertise in large-scale behavioral model (LBM) learning for machines with Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot Atlas, the companies said in a joint statement.
The collaboration between Toyota and Boston Dynamics will focus on basic research with an eye toward eventual commercial use.
Executives from both companies did not disclose the project schedule or budget.
“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 Player, CEO of Boston Dynamics. .
“This partnership is an example of two companies with strong research and development bases working together to tackle many complex challenges and build useful robots that solve real-world problems.”
“Recent advances in AI and machine learning have tremendous potential to advance physical intelligence,” said Gil Pratt, Toyota Chief Scientist and TRI CEO. The opportunity to implement cutting-edge AI technology on Boston Dynamics hardware is game-changing for organizations working to empower their people and improve quality of life.”
Robots will account for 20% of Hyundai’s future business
In December 2020, the Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai Motor and sister company Kia Motors, acquired Boston Dynamics, known for its steerable dog-like robot Spot, humanoid robot Atlas, and box-carrying robot Stretch. The company’s robot technology was used in automobiles. and other industrial areas.
Originally spun out as a research center from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992, Boston Dynamics has a long-standing reputation for creating breakthrough advances in humanoids, from extreme maneuverability to two-handed operation.
Toyota Research Institute conducts research to amplify human abilities.
Advances in TRI, known as pervasive policy, demonstrate that a single AI technique can be used to have robots perform a wide range of discrete tasks. The institute says its next research focus will be on creating large-scale behavioral models that will allow robots to learn many tasks simultaneously.
Hyundai Motors said it is shifting its business focus from brick-and-mortar car manufacturing to smart mobility after acquiring Boston Dynamics.
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Jeong Eui-sun said that in 2021, robots will account for 20% of future business, cars will account for half of sales, followed by urban air mobility (UAM) at 30%.
FIGURE AI, a collaboration to fight Tesla
The Hyundai-Toyota partnership poses a potential challenge to other smartbot programs, such as the Optimus robot exhibited by Tesla Inc. and the humanoid robot from U.S. robotics startup Figure AI.
Automakers are spearheading efforts to further automate assembly line processes to reduce labor costs and improve worker safety.
Bloomberg News cited the Frankfurt-based International Federation of Robotics as saying that the automotive industry has installed more robots in factories around the world than any other industry, and that by 2023 it will account for about a quarter of all new robots. 1 will introduce robots.
In June, Tesla introduced two Optimus robots to its car factories to perform simple tasks.
In August, the BMW Group tested the humanoid robot Figure 02 at its US plant in South Carolina.
Hyundai Motor plans to soon introduce Boston Dynamics robots to its factories around the world.
Partnerships between Hyundai and other companies
Hyundai Motor has been exploring partnerships with other companies in a variety of fields, including hydrogen and autonomous driving.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda is scheduled to fly to Seoul later this month to meet with Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung, raising expectations for a deepening partnership between the world’s No. 1 and No. 3 auto groups in future mobility technology. .
During his visit to Seoul, Mr. Toyoda is scheduled to attend the Hyundai N x TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival, which will be held on October 27th at Everland Speedway on the grounds of the Yongin theme park.
The two leaders also plan to discuss business cooperation, including on hydrogen vehicles, the people said.
Earlier this month, Hyundai entered into a multi-year strategic partnership with Waymo LLC to jointly develop a Level 4 autonomous vehicle based on Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 all-electric crossover SUV.
Please email Jung-Eun Shin at newyearis@hankyung.com.
In-Soo Nam edited this article.
