The Company That Created Spot the Robot Dog Is Now Owned by Hyundai

Hyundai Motor Group recently announced it has completed the acquisition of Boston Dynamics, one of the largest robotics design companies based in Massachusetts. According to Hyundai, the deal valued Boston Dynamics at $1.1 billion. The Korean carmaker now owns 80 percent of the company, which it bought from Softbank, with the latter still keeping the 20 percent left.

With its new purchase, Hyundai wants to take another step toward becoming a smart mobility solution provider, aiming to develop advanced technologies that enhance people’s lives. The goal is to create a robotics value chain from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions. Hyundai has also invested significant amounts of money in autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, urban air mobility (UAM), and smart factories. Hyundai hopes its future advanced robots will make work more productive and will promote safety.

You may be familiar with Boston Dynamics through one of the most popular robots it's created, Spot, the robot dog. The yellow machine has made headlines constantly since a year ago when it was released. It has been used for various types of applications, from detecting radiation at Chernobyl to inspecting high-voltage facilities, getting involved in combat exercises at a military camp, doing simple chores like picking up clothes off the floor, and even entertaining people with a New Year’s dance, along with two other buddies, robot Handle and Atlas.

Spot was the first commercial robot launched by Boston Dynamics in June 2020. The company now has hundreds of robots operating in a variety of industries such as construction, manufacturing, oil mining, power utilities, and more. Boston Dynamics recently revealed its first commercial robot designed for distribution centers and warehouse facilities. Its name is Stretch.