Hyundai Motors Acquires Boston Dynamics: How Can Robotics Scale Car Manufacturing?
Hyundai Motors has acquired Boston Dynamics for over $1 billion, signaling a significant move towards increased use of robotics in car manufacturing. The investment is seen as a step towards integrating advanced automation and enhancing research and development for new vehicles. Experts believe combining robotics with human efforts could lead to improved manufacturing efficiency.
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Key takeaways
Hyundai Motors invested more than $1 billion in acquiring Boston Dynamics to advance robotics in automotive manufacturing.
Experts believe the integration of robotics is aimed at enhancing research and development efforts rather than immediate large-scale changes.
A symbiotic relationship between humans and robotic systems could lead to significant efficiency gains in manufacturing.
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Automotive industry giant Hyundai Motors made waves recently, acquiring noted robotics lab Boston Dynamics for more than $1 billion. That’s a hefty investment – but what does it really represent?
To find out, Voice of B2B Daniel Litwin sat down with Konstantin Maslennikov, CEO and Founder of HereYouGo, which is working to empower anyone to rent part of a fleet of autonomous vehicles as we collectively move toward a self-driving future.
Even though Hyundai’s aggressive move represents a big step toward increased automation, Maslennikov said the process might be more glacier than avalanche.
“You cannot change everything in one day,” he said. “I think it’s more for research and development purposes, mostly. … Maybe for new vehicles.”
The duo explored where Hyundai might get the most out of its investment in Boston Dynamics, how robotic solutions are getting smarter and preparing to scale up, the role of automation in self-driving vehicle manufacturing at scale, and more.
While many companies are working toward that future, it’s still easier to use humans than artificial intelligence in some applications.
“It’s going to be some kind of symbiosis,” Maslennikov said. “Because, if people work with computers, the efficiency just grows very fast. … But we are not there yet, especially with AI enablement. Like, robots making robots? Robots making self-driving cars? We are not there yet.”
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About the author
Daniel Litwin is a journalist of multiple disciplines focused on finding and telling engaging stories for B2B communities. He has interviewed executives from Fortune 500 companies including Honeywell, Microsoft, John Deere, and Chipotle, and leads editorial direction at MarketScale. Litwin hosts weekly shows and podcasts while helping develop new content approaches across the MarketScale platform. He holds a B.J. in Radio/Television Reporting/Anchoring and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
