Boston Dynamics opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center on September 21 at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America outside Savannah, Georgia, beginning full-scale training of its Atlas humanoid robots for automotive manufacturing deployment1,4. The facility, which ran a pilot program starting in June, serves as a testbed where Atlas learns factory tasks and undergoes performance validation before moving onto live production lines5.
Atlas robots at the center are training in an environment identical to an actual plant, focusing on logistics preparation and parts sequencing — arranging automotive components in the correct order for assembly2,3. Boston Dynamics plans to expand the scope of work to component assembly by 2030, with the robots eventually taking on repetitive motions and strenuous tasks such as lifting heavy loads9.
Scale targets and facility expansion
Hyundai Motor Group has said it will progressively deploy 25,000 Atlas units across Hyundai Motor and Kia plants worldwide over the next several years6. The group also plans to build a new U.S. production facility capable of manufacturing 30,000 robots annually11.
The current RMAC footprint is set to grow substantially. Boston Dynamics plans to move operations into a new building on the HMGMA site in 2027, expanding the center to approximately ten times its current size. Through that expansion, the company intends to scale data collection and broaden Atlas's training tasks. Atlas is expected to begin parts-sequencing work at HMGMA in 2028, ahead of the 2030 assembly milestone.
Cross-industry ambitions
"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 RMAC differs from earlier trials, which were "time-boxed deployments focused on lessons needed to design our scaled-up presence". ANALYSIS The contrast Jackowski draws positions RMAC as a permanent operational footprint rather than a bounded experiment.
Boston Dynamics plans to begin exploring Atlas use cases in other industry sectors next year. The company is in discussions with existing Spot and Stretch customers in manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductors, logistics, food and beverage, and life sciences to support Atlas's continued training.
Hyundai acquired an 80% stake in Boston Dynamics in 2020 for approximately $880 million, with SoftBank Group retaining a 20% share. Boston Dynamics said SoftBank's acquisition of the Robotics and AI Institute from Hyundai will have no effect on Atlas development.
ANALYSIS The RMAC opening converts what had been demonstration-stage humanoid work into a structured, facility-based training pipeline tied to a specific manufacturer's production schedule.
Hyundai Motor Group and Boston Dynamics plan to release a documentary titled "Inside the Robotics Race" on September 30, spotlighting Atlas's on-site training at the RMAC.