Hyundai to use robots to enable unlimited freedom of movement: CES 2022

[Source: Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group will expand the scope of human movement beyond the real world, leveraging its robotic technology, which has become one of its core future growth engines after the South Korean auto mogul bought U.S. robot maker Boston Dynamics last year.

On the opening day of the world’s biggest electronics trade show CES 2022 on Wednesday (local time), Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun unveiled a new mobility notion called ‘metamobility’ that goes beyond cars and autonomous driving to bring robots and a 3D virtual reality into the mobility world.

“We envision future mobility solutions made possible by advanced robotics – even expanding our mobility solution to Metamobility,” said Chung after he took the stage with Boston Dynamics’ four-legged, agile mobile robot Spot during a CES 2022 press conference held in Las Vegas. “This vision will enable unlimited freedom of movement and progress of humanity.”

Metamobility is a combination of 'metaverse' and 'robotics', which will have “a huge impact on us,” Chung added.

Under the concept of meta mobility, cars and new means of transportation such as urban air mobility (UAM) are connected to the metaverse platform through robots. This means Hyundai mobility devices with robots would serve as other smart devices such as smartphones to connect users to a virtual social space. For example, Hyundai robots, as a medium, would mirror actions taken in the metaverse in the real world.

For this, Hyundai Motor will continue bold investments in mobility and robotics as new growth engines for the future, Chung vowed.

The company also presented the concept of 'Mobility of Things (MoT)', which gives mobility to all things in everyday life like Internet of Things (IoT). It is a vision to enable all machine objects to move through autonomous driving. A plug-and-drive module, a compact platform on wheels, is an example solution to make this a reality. This is an all-in-one transportation module that combines rotation, shock absorption, braking, and sensors in operating machines such as automobiles and robots.

The world’s largest tech trade show started with a keynote speech from Han Jong-hee, vice chairman, CEO and head of DX (Device eXperience) Division at Samsung Electronics, who unveiled the Korean electronics giant’s vision for the future, “Together for tomorrow”.

Han highlighted the company’s efforts to usher in a new age of togetherness, with customizable experiences that reflect consumers’ evolving lifestyles and initiatives that minimize environmental impact. Personalized experiences and advanced connectivity will provide consumers with a new lifestyle, Han emphasized.

To build a customized and connected future with products, Samsung also announced its role as a founding member of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), which will offer consumers the best smart home experience regardless of brand based on optimized Internet of Things (IoT) standards and compatibility. Key HCA members include GE, Haier, Electrolux, and Arcelik.

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