Atlas, a Humanoid Robot developed by Boston Dynamics, the robotics affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, received the Best Robot award at CES 2026 chosen by global IT outlet CNET on the 8th local time.
As an official partner of CES, CNET selects the Best of CES across 22 categories. The outlet said Atlas has humanlike walking capabilities and proved Hyundai Motor Group's AI Robotics vision for collaborating with humans.
CNET said, "The natural gait of the Atlas research model demonstrated at Hyundai Motor Group's booth left a strong impression," adding, "Close to a mass-production model, this product is already prepared for deployment at Hyundai Motor Group's manufacturing plants."
Hyundai Motor Group plans to first deploy Atlas in 2028 at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia. Starting with tasks such as sorting and transporting parts, the company plans to gradually expand its use to assembly processes by 2030. Hyundai Motor Group said it intends to use Atlas to handle repetitive work and heavy loads to make workers' environments safer.
Atlas is a 56 degrees-of-freedom robot (one joint moving independently counts as one degree of freedom). Most joints rotate fully. Its hand, similar in size to a human hand, is equipped with tactile sensors, broadening its sensing range. Along with waterproofing, it operates stably in environments from minus 20 to 40℃.
Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, said, "Atlas is the most advanced robot we have developed," adding, "This award means the team's efforts to bring a world-class humanoid to market are bearing fruit."