Hyundai Motor Group opens robot training center at HMGMA, plans to deploy 25,000 Atlas units

Boston Dynamics, the robotics arm of Hyundai Motor Group, announced Monday (local time) that it has officially opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center, or RMAC, at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America and begun full operations.

The RMAC serves as a testbed where Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robot learns the tasks it will need to perform before being deployed on Hyundai Motor Group's automotive manufacturing floors. Located on the HMGMA site in Georgia, the facility replicates actual factory conditions, allowing Atlas to practice logistics preparation and sequencing — arranging parts in the correct assembly order.

Boston Dynamics plans to expand Atlas's capabilities into parts assembly by 2030, then further into high-intensity tasks involving repetitive motions and heavy loads.

Hyundai Motor Group intends to deploy 25,000 Atlas units across Hyundai Motor and Kia global facilities over the coming years. To support that rollout, the group will also build a new production facility in the United States capable of manufacturing 30,000 robots annually.

The RMAC began a pilot operation in June and has now transitioned to full operation. Next year, a separate facility will be built on the HMGMA site, expanding the center to roughly 10 times its current size. Boston Dynamics will continue training and validating Atlas for deployment on automotive manufacturing floors.

The company is also exploring applications in other industries. Boston Dynamics is in discussions with customers across manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductors, logistics, food and beverage, and life sciences — sectors that already use its Spot and Stretch robots. In 2027, the company plans to scale up data collection and other efforts to advance Atlas's training process.

"We are thrilled to be pioneering enterprise-scale physical AI alongside such a committed partner as Hyundai Motor Group," said Jake Jackowski, Boston Dynamics' chief product and technology officer. "Together, we have developed a strategy to optimize Atlas's supply chain, production, testing and deployment capabilities." He added that the RMAC "reinforces our shared vision of a future where robots perform tasks more safely and productively, expanding human potential."

Meanwhile, a documentary co-produced by Hyundai Motor Group, Boston Dynamics and Bloomberg Media Studios will be released Sept. 30. The film captures Atlas's on-site training at the RMAC and the process of verifying its safety, reliability and performance using real manufacturing data in preparation for industrial deployment.