Boston Dynamics on September 21, 2026, opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center, a dedicated facility for training its Atlas humanoid robots inside Hyundai Motor Group's Metaplant America campus outside Savannah, Georgia1,2. The center marks the company's shift from time-limited pilot deployments to a permanent, scaled-up integration of humanoid robots into live automotive manufacturing.
Atlas robots are now training on real-world tasks at the facility, starting with preparing the logistics and sequencing of automotive parts before placing them in the correct order for assembly. Boston Dynamics said applications will extend to component assembly by 2030, with Atlas eventually taking on repetitive motions and strenuous work such as lifting heavy loads.
From pilot to permanent presence
"Together with Hyundai Motor Group, we are pioneering physical AI at enterprise scale," said Zack Jackowski, chief product and technology officer at Boston Dynamics. Jackowski told The Robot Report that previous trials were "time-boxed deployments focused on lessons needed to design our scaled-up presence," addressing questions about the right mix of off-site, on-site, and simulation data for learning policies with acceptable reliability. He described RMAC as the result of that earlier groundwork.
The first phase of RMAC is now operational. Operations will move into a new building at the Metaplant America campus next year, expanding the center to approximately ten times its current size.
Scale targets across Hyundai's network
Hyundai Motor Group plans to deploy Atlas across its global network, beginning with 25,000 units at Hyundai Motor and Kia global plants over the next few years. The Group will establish a new U.S. production facility capable of manufacturing up to 30,000 robots annually.
Beyond automotive, Boston Dynamics plans to begin exploring use cases in other industry sectors next year. The company said it is in discussions with several existing Spot and Stretch customers in manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductors, logistics, food and beverage, and life sciences to scale data collection and other tasks to continue Atlas' training process in 2027.
Boston Dynamics also said that SoftBank's acquisition of the Robotics and AI Institute from Hyundai will have no effect on Atlas development.
ANALYSIS The 25,000-unit deployment target and a dedicated 30,000-unit-per-year production facility represent one of the largest concrete volume commitments yet attached to a humanoid robot program. The phased approach, starting with parts sequencing before graduating to assembly, reflects a strategy of building reliability on lower-complexity tasks before expanding scope.