Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun enters a presentation stage along with Spot, a four-legged robot, during the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 Tuesday in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor
South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor said the company would use robotics in the “metaverse,” or the virtual world.
The conglomerate introduced a new concept called “metamobility” — the combination of metaverse and mobility — which it said is designed to make robots act as a medium between the real world and virtual spaces so that changes in the metaverse are reflected in reality.
The company said the distinctions between future mobilities would be blurred thanks to robotics technology, and as a result, vehicles and urban air mobility devices will serve as smart devices to access the metaverse platform.
For example, a robot car can provide mobility services as a personal transportation pod, which can also become an office or entertainment center for the driver to interact with others in the virtual world while being transported in real life.
“At Hyundai, we are harnessing the power of robotics to achieve great things. We envision future mobility solutions made possible by advanced robotics — even expanding our mobility solutions to meta-mobility,” Hyundai Chairman Chung Eui-sun said.
This vision will enable unlimited freedom of movement and progress for humanity.”
Over the past few years, Hyundai has bet big on robotics technology. In particular, the firm acquired U.S. robotics company Boston Dynamics in 2020 for $880 million.
The startup is famous for machines such as Spot and Atlas. The former is a four-legged robot that can trot, climb stairs, and open doors, while the latter is a humanoid robot.
