Hyundai’s Atlas Humanoid Robot Debuts at CES, to Roll Out in 2028
New vehicles are seemingly taking a back seat this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but Hyundai is using the event to introduce its new and transformative “AI Robotics Strategy.”
By leveraging the expertise of its Boston Dynamics subsidiary, the Korean automaker aims to develop an entire robot program to assist and collaborate with humans. It plans to deploy these robots across the entire value chain—from manufacturing and logistics to sales—beginning in 2028, and in the longer term integrate them into everyday life to “generate new value and enrich human experiences.”
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To be clear, we're not just talking about machine-like robots such as the Stretch warehouse assistant or the agile quadruped known as Spot that’s now operational in more than 40 countries worldwide. At CES 2026, Hyundai and Boston Dynamics unveiled Atlas, a humanoid robot powered by artificial intelligence (via Google DeepMind). Tesla's Optimus has met its match.
Equipped with advanced rotational joints and sensors, Atlas can navigate complex industrial environments, perform repetitive tasks and leverage AI-driven learning to quickly adapt to new roles. Its mechanical design enables dynamic movement, ensuring it can operate in spaces traditionally suited to humans. It also has human-scale hands with tactile sensing.
Hyundai claims Atlas can learn most tasks in less than 24 hours, operate independently from day one (including automatic battery replacement), lift loads up to 50 kg (110 lbs) and perform a number of tasks requiring high precision. What’s more, it is water resistant, designed for washdowns, and operates at its full capabilities between 20-40 degrees Celsius.
Before a large-scale rollout, Atlas robots will first undergo extensive training using the Hyundai’s manufacturing environment to ensure safe readiness for real-world applications. The goal is to produce 30,000 units annually starting in 2028 as part of the automaker’s $26 billion USD investment over four years in the United States.
In related news, Hyundai took home the Best of Innovation Award in Robotics at CES 2026 for MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid), a small, highly versatile, four-wheeled robot that is pictured below.
