Boston Dynamics opens Atlas training center at Hyundai’s Georgia Metaplant

Boston Dynamics has opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center, or RMAC, at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America near Savannah, Georgia, The Robot Report reported. The facility is a testbed and training site for bringing Atlas humanoids into Hyundai’s vehicle production.

Atlas is starting with parts logistics: taking automotive parts out of packaging, sequencing them and placing them in order for assembly. Chief product and technology officer Zack Jackowski said the work calls for careful two-handed manipulation, since many parts are large, awkward or have cosmetic surfaces that cannot be grabbed. The robots learn from teleoperation, reinforcement learning in simulation and Universal Manipulation Interface devices.

Jackowski described RMAC as a permanent “Robot Behavior Factory” that combines real parts, fixtures, robots and skilled pilots to produce training data. Earlier trials, he said, were short, hands-on deployments meant to shape this larger setup. Component assembly is planned by 2030.

Next year the center moves to a new building about 10 times its current size, and Boston Dynamics plans to explore uses beyond automotive with Spot and Stretch customers. Hyundai has said it will deploy Atlas across its global network, starting with 25,000 units at Hyundai and Kia plants, and will build a U.S. factory able to make up to 30,000 robots a year by 2028.