Hyundai's New Factory Will Use Robot Dogs and AI, Is This the Future of Car Manufacturing?

Dec 31, 2023 11:59 PM EST

HYUNDAI VELOSTER PARKED IN A DARK ROOM — (Photo : PEXELS/Hyundai Motor Group )

Hyundai's groundbreaking initiative takes shape in a futuristic marvel: unique, AI-powered robotics that will change automobile manufacturing. This groundbreaking center revealed at the Innovation Center Singapore reinvents custom EV manufacturing.

Hyundai's Facility Operates Using Robot Dogs and AI

Spearheading the assembly of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and soon the Ioniq 6, this 'Smart' facility leverages minimal staffing and AI-driven precision, enabling the delivery of cars within a mere six hours of order placement. With robot dogs among its workforce, this showcase heralds an imminent global proliferation of similar sites.

Reports revealed that such "Smart Facility" will serve as a prototype for similar facilities in urban areas worldwide, maybe including the UK. The Smart facility center uses robot dogs and AI to offer individualized Hyundai EV purchases.

What exact work do these robot dogs and AI perform? As shared on WSJ.com at Hyundai's EV facility in Singapore, AI-driven robotic arms construct vehicles within dedicated units, overseen by robot companions-a pioneering approach to manufacturing unfolding in adaptable "microfactories.

The robot dogs perform assembly, inspection, and production. They also manage 60% of component processing, ordering, and transport.

Hyundai started making the IONIQ 5 at the facility this year and aims to launch the IONIQ 6 next year.This facility will explore novel mobility solutions such as purpos e-built vehicles (PBVs).

Closer Look: Hyundai's New Factory

An interactive experience with adaptable car customizing, virtual factory tours, trial drives, and a "smart farm" is available at this tech hub. The new facility, as highlighted by Hyundai, "introduces unparalleled avenues for EV purchasers to engage with their cars and the Hyundai marque," employing robots and AI.

This place is massive-seven stories high and covering 68,900 square meters-churning out 30,000 EVs every year. Hyundai's latest EV facility got 200 robots doing half the work. Evidently, Hyundai with its robot dogs, and AI are bringing something extraordinary to the car industry.

How things work at the facility? According to Autocar, this blended human-AI team relies on a meta factory, a digital replica, to simulate upcoming tasks like managing significant shipments. This helps plan how to launch and assign robots in real time.

The goal is to give the AI the power to lead daily tasks and plans for the future, working with a human partner in a digital command center. Additionally, the factory employs cell-based manufacturing, a versatile production approach enabling multiple models to be made simultaneously without station reconfiguration.

Coupled with a cohort of AI-driven robots handling tasks from stock movement to quality checks and part fitting, this setup enables the Singapore facility to function with merely 29 technicians. Despite this, it churns out 70 cars per day during an eight-hour shift and this number could increase.

Going Green: Smart Farm

Hyundai integrated a "smart farm" to boost the local food supply in a region where 90% of food is imported, prompting Singapore's government to advocate for innovative tech like smart farms.

This agricultural setup within the facility yields nine different crops, which Hyundai plans to utilize in an upcoming farm-to-table restaurant set to open next year.