Hyundai Purchases Robot Manufacturer Boston Dynamics in Billion Dollar Deal

In an unconventional move and one that may not be completely clear at first, Korean automaker Hyundai Motor has purchased a controlling stake in robot manufacturing company Boston Dynamics.  Valued at $1.1 billion, Boston Dynamics is well known for its highly mobile robots, including its robot dog Spot which went from being a viral YouTube star to helping doctors treat Coronavirus patients and enforce social distancing in Boston, Massachusetts.

While the move may raise questions with many wondering why an automotive giant would need to purchase a robotics company, it is believed that Hyundai will be leveraging from the firm’s technology to expand automation at its factories, as well as design autonomous vehicles, drones, and delivery robots. With the Korean manufacturer set to reduce its reliance on traditional car manufacturing, it also plans to use Boston Dynamics and its technology to make a bigger impact in the urban air mobility and robotics space.

When it comes to automotive-funded robots, American automaker Ford has also partnered with Agility Robotics to build a fleet of self-driving delivery vans that are capable of delivering packages to the doorsteps of people’s homes and the Japanese have also made bold statements with robots from Toyota and Honda in the past. We can’t really forget Honda’s ASIMO, can we?

"Boston Dynamics’ commercial business has grown rapidly as we've brought to market the first robot that can automate repetitive and dangerous tasks in workplaces designed for human-level mobility.  Us and Hyundai share a view of the transformational power of mobility and look forward to working together to accelerate our plans to enable the world with cutting edge automation, and to continue to solve the world’s hardest robotics challenges for our customers,” said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics.