“24시간 만에 1년치 훈련”…아틀라스, 공장 투입 성큼

[Anchor] Amidst fierce competition in the humanoid robot market, Hyundai Motor Group has unveiled the soccer training process of Boston Dynamics' Atlas. The robot learned movements by repeating in just one day what would take a human a year of trial and error. The skills acquired in this way are expected to serve as the foundation for future deployment in manufacturing sites. Along with establishing a factory automation system, Hyundai Motor is also accelerating preparations for the mass production of Atlas. Reporter Lee Hye-ran reports. [Reporter] From dribbling the ball to shooting and even high-difficulty maneuvers like kicking with crossed legs. Even national soccer team player Son Heung-min was surprised by the soccer skills demonstrated by the humanoid robot Atlas. This is the result of researchers at Boston Dynamics, Hyundai Motor's robotics affiliate, recording the movements of actual soccer players using motion capture, converting them to fit the robot's body structure, and conducting repetitive learning. The key is a method that runs thousands of virtual simulations simultaneously in a cloud Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) environment. It amounts to experiencing approximately one year's worth of trial and error that a human would go through in just 24 hours. It can learn human-like movements through the process of running, turning, jumping, and landing while playing soccer. The technology acquired in this way can be expanded to the ability to move objects and perform tasks in logistics and manufacturing sites in the future. The motion of kicking a ball leads to the ability to push and accurately place objects, while the motion of changing direction leads to obstacle avoidance. Previously, Atlas was also shown lifting and moving a refrigerator weighing 23 kg. With the addition of the ability to use the entire body flexibly to its strength in handling heavy objects, it is evaluated as being much closer to being deployed in industrial sites. Hyundai Motor Group has already embarked on organizational restructuring. To promote the so-called "Software-Centric Factory (SDF)" system, where artificial intelligence integrates and controls the entire factory with a single software, a dedicated organization was established, and an expert from a global consulting firm was appointed as the control tower. A separate organization dedicated to parts purchasing was also formed ahead of the mass production of Atlas. The goal is to establish a production system capable of producing 30,000 units annually by 2028. Starting with parts sorting operations at the Georgia plant in the U.S. in the same year, we plan to expand our scope to include parts assembly starting in 2030. This is Lee Hye-ran from Seoul Economic TV. /[email protected] [Video Editing: Yoo Yeon-seo]