Hyundai Motor·Kia's mass-produced wheeled robot has been unveiled. It is a delivery robot developed based on the mobility robot platform "MobED (MobED)."
Hyundai Motor·Kia on the 3rd unveiled for the first time the mass-production model of the next-generation autonomous driving mobility robot platform "MobED (Mobile Eccentric Droid, MobED)" at the "Japan International Robot Exhibition 2025 (International Robot Exhibition 2025, hereafter IREX)" held at Japan's "Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo Big Sight)."
A versatile mobile robot platform that can stably travel across various terrains regardless of purpose or environment made its debut on the global stage.
IREX, which marked its 26th edition this year since its launch in 1974, is one of the world's three major international robot exhibitions and an event where global robot industry trends can be observed. This year, under the theme "Sustainable societies through robotics," it proposes solutions to social problems through coexistence and collaboration between humans and robots.
Hyundai Motor·Kia participated in IREX for the first time and exhibited the actual mass-production MobED and top module–combined models developed for use in various industrial environments such as delivery, logistics and filming.
MobED is Hyundai Motor·Kia's new-concept compact mobility platform with an innovative wheel drive system. It was first introduced as a concept model at CES in Las Vegas, U.S., in 2022, and after about three years of product development, it was reborn as a mass-production model that can be used in various business and everyday environments.
The biggest feature that differentiates MobED from existing robot platforms is its "driving stability that overcomes terrain limitations."
MobED is equipped with four independently driven wheels and an eccentric posture control mechanism based on a DnL (Drive-and-Lift) module. Each wheel is fitted with three motors that perform individual wheel propulsion, steering and body posture control, allowing the chassis to be adjusted to a desired tilt. As a result, it can maintain stable balance on surfaces with slopes or bumps and even on curb sections up to 20cm high.
A mounting rail that allows various devices to be freely attached is applied to the top of the platform, enabling users to simply and conveniently combine modules according to their purpose. A separate port is also provided to operate or control the top module using the battery and controller installed within the platform. These features form the basis for MobED to be used in a wide range of industries in the future, including outdoor delivery, patrol, research and video shooting.
The mass-production MobED unveiled by Hyundai Motor·Kia this time is divided into Basic and Pro lineups.
The Basic model is designed for research and development to implement autonomous driving robots, allowing research institutes or developers that purchase the robot to apply their own autonomous driving software as needed and use it as an experimental platform. The Pro model is an autonomous driving–capable platform. It is equipped with autonomous driving technology that applies AI-based algorithms and lidar·camera fusion sensors to recognize people and obstacles and to travel safely and efficiently in complex and wide-ranging environments such as indoor and outdoor movement, logistics delivery and filming.
A user-friendly interface that allows anyone to operate it easily is also a feature of MobED. The separate remote controller used to operate MobED is implemented as a 3D graphic–based touch screen to provide an intuitive and convenient user experience, making it easy for anyone to operate regardless of their technical understanding of the robot.
MobED is 74cm wide, 115cm long and has a maximum speed of 10km/h, and can run for up to 4 hours on a single charge. Maximum payload varies by lineup, at about 47–57kg.
Hyundai Motor·Kia organized the exhibition space mainly around demonstrations to show the various expandability of MobED.
Inside the exhibition hall, in addition to various terrains such as curbs, slopes and speed bumps, an environment simulating an industrial site was created, and scenes were staged where MobED completes missions using autonomous driving and posture control technologies.
Also displayed were top module concept models such as MobED Loading, MobED Unloading, MobED Delivery, MobED Golf, MobED Broadcasting and MobED Urban Hopper, drawing visitors' attention.
Hyundai Motor·Kia Robotics Lab Executive Director Hyun Dong-jin said, "MobED is a next-generation mobility solution that can be used in various industries and everyday life beyond a simple mobility platform," and noted, "Through this model unveiling, we will strive to set a new standard in the global robot market and hasten a future in which people and robots coexist."
Hyundai Motor·Kia plans to begin selling the mass-production MobED to customers from the first half of next year, starting with this IREX unveiling.
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