Robots will take on significantly more tasks in the future – also in cars. The Korean car manufacturer Hyundai is now taking over the well-known robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics.
Boston Dynamics, known for its running robots, is now owned by the South Korean car maker Hyundai . Hyundai announced on Monday that it wanted to build a “robotics value chain” that would range from the production of robot parts to intelligent logistics solutions.
The value of Boston Dynamics amounts to 1.1 billion dollars after the transaction (about 925 million. Euro), it said. Hyundai took over 80 percent of the shares and the previous owner, the Japanese technology group Softbank , kept the remaining 20 percent through a subsidiary.
Demo videos with robots from Boston Dynamics have been causing a stir for years – also because they show the progress of technology. At first, the robots, which were based on human movements, often found it difficult to keep their balance. In the meantime, they have also mastered complex sequences of movements and can run, jump, use stairs, carry boxes and stand up independently if they are knocked over.
Boston Dynamics has seen several changes of ownership in the past few years. Initially, the company was taken over by Google . But the Internet company, which was increasingly targeted by competition watchdogs and critics of the technology industry, scaled back its robotics plans.
Softbank bought Google Boston Dynamics in 2017 – and at that time also had plans to rely more on robots. In the meantime, however, the Japanese group is tightening its portfolio, among other things after the billion-dollar bad investment in the office space provider WeWork.
