Hyundai Motor Group teams up with Korean robotics firms to develop MobED-based robot solutions

Hyundai Motor Group is partnering with Korean robotics companies to develop robot solutions based on its mobile robot platform MobED, as part of a broader push to expand the domestic robotics ecosystem.

The group announced Wednesday that it is showcasing a range of MobED-based robot applications at 2026 Robo World, held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, through Saturday, in collaboration with three Korean robotics firms: Gaon Robotics, Wego Robotics and Roas.

Hyundai Motor Group said it is supporting companies that face high barriers to entry in robot development — including costs, time and the challenge of securing specialized talent — by allowing them to build on the MobED platform and focus on their own areas of expertise. Partner companies can reduce the burden of developing a driving platform from scratch and instead concentrate on designing upper modules and application services tailored to their technologies and industry needs.

The exhibition highlights MobED's scalability beyond a single mobile platform, showing how it can be applied across a wide range of robot services and working environments.

Gaon Robotics is displaying four robot models that pair MobED with modules for patrol, delivery, waste sorting and semi-humanoid robot functions. Visitors can try out a parcel and household goods delivery service that transports items to a designated destination, as well as a recyclable waste collection service that moves sorted materials to a specified location. The demonstrations show how lifestyle-support robots can handle the full sequence from a user's request through movement and task execution.

Wego Robotics is presenting a MobED-based dual-arm mobile manipulator that combines the mobile platform with a two-armed robot to demonstrate grasping and manipulating objects while in motion. The company is also showcasing the potential for independent and cooperative control of both arms, integrated control based on the Robot Operating System (ROS), and AI learning and inference technology.

Roas is exhibiting a patrol service robot and demonstrating MobED's terrain-handling capabilities. The platform performs a 360-degree rotation in a confined space, uses lateral and vertical eccentric body movements for posture control, and navigates steps of up to 20 centimeters — illustrating its performance across varied terrain and driving conditions.

MobED uses eccentric wheel-based Drive-and-Lift (DnL) modules, with each of its four wheels driven independently by in-wheel motors. The system actively controls movement and maintains a level chassis even on uneven surfaces.

To sustain ongoing collaboration with key partners, Hyundai Motor Group has established the MobED Alliance, through which it is exploring cooperative arrangements covering robot development using the MobED platform, field deployment, and the creation of customized modules and solutions.

"When we share the robot platform with our partners and combine it with each company's expertise, we can together build robot solutions suited to a wider range of industries and living environments," a Hyundai Motor Group official said. "We will expand technology and business cooperation with our partners through the MobED Alliance and contribute to the growth and mutual prosperity of the domestic robotics ecosystem."

Meanwhile, Boston Dynamics, a robotics subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, unveiled the second-generation model of its logistics robot Stretch on Tuesday (local time).

The new model is designed to reduce the likelihood of breakdowns and improve durability, drawing on operational data from the first-generation model deployed in real logistics facilities. Hardware architecture and maintenance have been improved based on experience gained since the first-generation model entered full commercial service in 2023.