Board approves Hyundai Motor as new vice chair company

Automaker upgrades from general member since 2009 to key executive role

Move expected to deepen ties between large conglomerates and robotics firms

The new Atlas hand unveiled by Boston Dynamics on Friday (local time) precisely manipulates a small component with its fingertips. [Provided by Boston Dynamics]
The new Atlas hand unveiled by Boston Dynamics on Friday (local time) precisely manipulates a small component with its fingertips. [Provided by Boston Dynamics]

Hyundai Motor is set to take on a key executive role in the country's leading robotics industry association, amid its push to commercialize the Atlas humanoid robot. The move is expected to broaden its technology and business cooperation with domestic robotics companies.

According to industry sources, the Korea AI and Robot Industry Association recently held a board meeting and approved Hyundai Motor's appointment as a new vice chair company.

Hyundai Motor has been a general member of the association since joining in late 2009. After recently applying for vice chair status, the approval elevates the automaker to a core executive role with a say in the association's major operational direction and project initiatives.

Hyundai Motor Group unveiled Boston Dynamics' next-generation humanoid robot Atlas at CES 2026 in Las Vegas earlier this year and announced an AI robotics business strategy linking robot development, learning, production and operations.

The group plans to deploy Atlas at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in the US state of Georgia starting in 2028, with a phased rollout. It is also working to build a production system capable of manufacturing 30,000 robots annually.

The strategy extends the mass-production technology and manufacturing process expertise accumulated on automotive assembly lines into the robotics business. Deploying robots in real industrial settings requires not only hardware but also AI software, component supply chains and safety verification, which is expected to expand the potential for collaboration with specialized domestic firms.

Hyundai Motor Group affiliates are already engaging with the robotics industry through the association. Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Wia, Hyundai Transys and Hyundai Rotem are all members, with Hyundai Rotem serving as a vice chair company. Hyundai Motor's addition as a vice chair broadens the group's collective footprint in the association.

Large conglomerates are increasingly taking on prominent roles within the association. In February, Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' future robotics division, was elected the association's 12th president, making Samsung Electronics the chair company.

The association currently has about 440 member companies, with 35 serving as executive members. Of those, 15 are vice chair companies — including Hyundai Motor, LG Electronics, Doosan Robotics, Neuromeka and Yujin Robot. Rainbow Robotics, Posco DX and DN Solutions are also among the executive members.


kwater@heraldcorp.com