South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group-backed robotics company Boston Dynamics unveiled its Atlas humanoid robot, a competitor to Tesla Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Optimus, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026.
Atlas Robot Revealed
On Monday, the company announced that it will begin production of the robot at its facility in Boston "immediately," and that the robots are scheduled for deployment at the South Korean automaker's Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) in the coming months.
Boston Dynamics will also send robots to Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google DeepMind lab. "The company plans to add additional customers in early 2027," Boston Dynamics said in the statement released on Monday.
The robot is capable of lifting objects weighing up to 50 kg (110 lbs) and can function in temperature ranges from -20° to 40° C (-4° to 104° F). A task learned by a single Atlas robot can also be replicated across the entire fleet, Boston Dynamics said. The robot also boasts human detection.
Hyundai's Atlas Plans
Hyundai also announced that the Atlas robot would be deployed at its Georgia facility by 2028, where it would aid in performing tasks like part sequencing. Hyundai shared that by 2030, Atlas' applications will comprise "component assembly," as well as "tasks involving repetitive motions, heavy loads, and other complex operations."
The automaker also said that its new approach would involve the robots handling "labor-intensive or high-risk tasks," while humans would "focus on training the robots" and "providing oversight."
Nvidia Partnership, US Investment
Hyundai touted a partnership with chipmaker Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA), which has been in place since January 2025. The company also shared that the South Korean government had signed an MoU with the chipmaker to strengthen its AI expertise.
The automaker then shared that it would be investing over $28 billion in the U.S. over President Donald Trump's term in office to "expand collaboration with leading U.S. companies in robotics, AI, autonomous driving, and other future technologies." Hyundai's investment plans also involve a new factory capable of producing 30,000 robots per year.
Back in September last year, Trump had demanded a $350 billion investment from South Korea in the U.S., which had triggered concern within the country's government that such an investment could trigger a major financial crisis in the nation.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had conducted raids on Hyundai's battery manufacturing facility in Georgia in September last year, detaining over 475 workers at the plant.
Tesla's Optimus Plan
Meanwhile, Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot has been touted by CEO Elon Musk for various applications. Musk shared that Optimus could be used to perform surgeries, calling the Robot an “infinite money glitch,” while also opining that it could enable a universal high income for everyone.
Musk also highlighted the importance of the robot for the automaker's future, sharing that Optimus would represent over 80% of Tesla’s future value amid a push towards AI and Robotics as illustrated in the company’s Master Plan IV.
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