Could there be a dancing robot in your future Hyundai?

Thursday, 31 December 2020

If the future contains robots in our cars that can do menial tasks for us and bust out sweet dance moves on command, then that is a future we can get behind.

And it technically is a possibility as proven yet again by robotics company Boston Dynamics, which has released its latest video of robots cutting a rug, this time its Atlas, Spot and Handle models breaking out their sweet moves.

What has this got to do with motoring?

Well, Hyundai recently purchased an 80 per cent controlling stake in the US company that saw it valued at an impressive US$1.1 billion.

* Boston Dynamics' dog-like robot that dances to Uptown Funk

* Robot dogs that freaked out people by opening doors may soon come to building near you

* 'What do you do?': Jogging robot video freaks out the internet

So does that mean we will be getting dancing robots in Hyundais in the near future? Even just as an option?

The idea behind Elevate is to get first responders right to an emergency scene - with a vehicle-load of supplies.

Maybe. You see, rather than being the wider Hyundai Group or even Hyundai Heavy Industries, the largest manufacturer of industrial robots in Korea, that purchased the controlling stake in Boston Dynamics, it was actually the Hyundai Motor Group, which is the parent company of both the Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors.

At the time of the deal Hyundai said the investment would help its development of service and logistics robots, but that over time it hopes to build more humanoid robots for jobs like “caregiving for patients at hospitals.” Other areas of interest included autonomous driving and smart factories.

Boston Dynamics started as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology creating robots BigDog, but is arguably best known to the general public for the viral fame its robots have found online.

Its two main stars have been Atlas, a humanoid bipedal robot that can run and do backflips, and Spot, a smaller quadrupedal “dog” that’ is most famous for dancing to Uptown Funk, but is actually sold by the company for US$74,500 to businesses looking for an automated way to patrol and inspect warehouses.

While Hyundai might not be giving us in-car robots just yet, another use for Boston Dynamics’ technology might be in – wait for it – walking cars!

Back in 2019 Hyundai revealed the Elevate concept which it called an “Ultimate Mobility Vehicle” that used moveable legs and would allow first responders to get right to an emergency scene with a vehicle-load of supplies.

At the time Hyundai Cradle (the Korean carmaker's innovation business, which partners in startups focusing on advanced automotive technology) said the Elevate blended technology found in electric cars and robots, which allowed it to traverse terrain beyond the limitations of convention off-road vehicles.

All of which looks rather similar to the sort of technology Boston Dynamics develops, albeit on a much larger scale.

Dancing walking cars? Yes please!