Hyundai is far ahead most others in their attempts to replace dangerous and physically demanding work for humans with robots, according to a press release.
This initiative aims at having, simplified, AI driven factories with continuously updated systems and robots due to large scale machine learning. This includes working with humans in "effective human-robot collaboration". The AI platform is provided by Nvidia.
The system is based on Boston Dynamics and their newly revealed Atlas model, along with an extensive plan to mass-produce and in 2028, produce 30,000 units per year.
Atlas is made for the factory floor, where fully rotational joints enable movement not possible by humans, due to AI adapting to new roles, while being compact enough to fit in spaces designed for humans. At the same time it can do extremely repetitive work, matching humans with lifting power of up to 50kg at high precision.
Atlas is meant to operate autonomously, and even has "hands" with tactile sensing and scaled to human size, with 56 degrees of freedom, it's one of the most agile robots to be produced. It's therefore able to also do maintenance work in addition to assembly and just moving parts around. The Atlas model promises to be able to be fully "trained" in less than a day, and it "self-sufficient", meaning that it knows when to leave work and go for a recharge.
It can be washed, and can operate between 20-40 degrees Celsius.
"In the long term, AI Robotics will naturally integrate into everyday life, generating new value and enriching human experiences. This approach establishes a foundation for large-scale robot commercialization and creates a future where humans and robots coexist and collaborate seamlessly," as Hyundai explains.