Automakers might be the primary large winners from this advancing expertise.
Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics introduced large robotic information at CES 2026. Boston Dynamics unveiled a totally electrical humanoid robotic known as Atlas on January fifth, and introduced that manufacturing will start instantly. The corporate mentioned fleets shall be shipped to Hyundai’s Robotics Metaplant Software Middle (RMAC) and Google DeepMind within the coming months. Hyundai mentioned it plans to function Atlas throughout its international community beginning in 2028, together with at its Savannah, Georgia, plant.
Hyundai Motor’s inventory worth on the Korea Trade rose inside a day of the announcement. Traders are enthusiastic about Hyundai’s potential to make breakthroughs in bringing AI humanoid robots to the true world.
However is buyers’ pleasure about these robots justified? Numerous firms have made large bulletins that robots are coming, however their predictions have not at all times come true.
Let’s check out why Boston Dynamics’ new humanoid robotic, Atlas, is so fascinating and why robotic inventory buyers might wish to be cautious.
Why Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robotic is definitely worth the hype
Robots in automobile factories aren’t new. However Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robotic is particular not simply because it resembles a human, however as a result of will probably be in a position to change or complement human work on Hyundai’s manufacturing facility meeting line.
In keeping with Hyundai, the Atlas robotic provides the next options:
Human-scale fingers with tactile sensing Superior rotational joints Capability to elevate as much as 110 kilos Capability to be taught duties inside a day Capability to drive autonomously with computerized battery swapping Capability to carry out precision and repetitive duties that people discover tiring
Hyundai plans to fabricate 30,000 robots a 12 months at its U.S. factories, and mentioned, “We count on humanoids to change into the biggest section of the bodily AI market sooner or later, and have set the objective of mass producing Atlas product fashions and deploying models at scale throughout industrial websites as production-ready humanoid robots.”
From left: Aya Durbin, Humanoid Functions Product Chief, Boston Dynamics; Final robotic. Zachary Jackowski, vice chairman and normal supervisor of Atlas, Boston Dynamics. Picture supply: Hyundai Motor Group.
automobile manufacturing facility robotic
Hyundai says that beginning in 2028, “Atlas shall be applied in processes with confirmed security and high quality advantages, akin to elements sequencing.” The corporate plans to develop using its robots to incorporate meeting of elements. “Over time, Atlas may even tackle duties that contain repetitive motions, heavy hundreds, and different complicated duties, guaranteeing a safer working surroundings for manufacturing facility staff.”
If Hyundai succeeds in constructing and deploying humanoid robots in its factories, it is also excellent news for Toyota, which is partnering with Boston Dynamics on robotics analysis tasks. Automobile firms might be the primary large winners with the arrival of humanoid robots. However Boston Dynamics can be engaged on strategic partnerships with Nvidia and Alphabet’s Google DeepMind.
Why buyers must be cautious of the robotic hype
Humanoid robots are so fascinating to observe as a result of they’re a science fiction dream come true. Hyundai might crack the code on find out how to construct and deploy humanoid robots at scale in a approach that improves manufacturing facility productiveness.
However different firms have additionally tried and did not introduce helpful and worthwhile robots. The latest historical past of humanoid robots contains some exaggerated failures and untimely declarations of world-changing innovation.
In 2014, SoftBank launched Pepper, a humanoid robotic that goals to offer customer support by interacting with people. Nevertheless, the robotic was criticized for failing on account of mechanical errors and easy duties. As of 2021, Pepper is not in manufacturing.
One other humanoid robotic known as NEO, developed by startup 1X, can be aimed toward serving to with family chores. However journalists criticized the robotic for failing to crack a nut, for taking two minutes to fold a sweater, and for not being autonomous. It’s managed by a human worker carrying a VR headset. NEO was named one of many worst expertise failures of 2025 by MIT Expertise Assessment.
As soon as-promising robotic designs can disappoint and disappear. Samsung launched a spherical yellow robotic known as Ballie in 2020. Though Ballie is just not humanoid, it was supposed to be a robotic house assistant that would regulate sensible thermostats and lights, patrol the home, and mission movies onto partitions. However six years later, the Ballie robotic is just not on show at CES 2026, and the corporate has not introduced plans to launch it as a product.
At CES 2026, a Bloomberg reporter was skeptical of demonstrations of humanoid robots for the house, saying it took an “excruciatingly” very long time to place a single garment within the washer, however advised that “adoption shall be quicker in factories,” the place robots can be taught repetitive duties in a managed and predictable surroundings.
Sci-fi model robotic housekeepers will not be right here anytime quickly, however analysis from Morgan Stanley predicts that the humanoid robotic market might attain $5 trillion by 2050, with greater than 1 billion humanoids deployed, 90% of which might be used for industrial and industrial functions. Morgan Stanley predicts that the unfold of humanoid robots shall be “comparatively gradual till the mid-2030s, earlier than accelerating from the late 2030s to the 2040s.”
Traders are understandably enthusiastic about robotics, however the largest good points could also be years away. Even when automakers and different manufacturing firms change into the primary to understand vital income from humanoids, buyers are greatest to be affected person. This complicated and unpredictable expertise may cause fluctuations and losses alongside the best way.
