Paul Lienert

(Reuters. Hyundai Motor Co. sees a future where a number of robotic devices will interact with people to deliver a wide range of mobility services. This includes automated individual transport and remote control of robots at “smart factory” sites.

The chief executive of Hyundai, Euisun Chang, spoke out about this vision during a press briefing held at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, on Tuesday.

Hyundai is not interested in buzzwords. It plans to use its robotics expertise and artificial intelligence to create a future mobility network which links humans in the real world to objects and tasks in virtual space.

This concept refers to the metaverse. It was first coined by Neal Stephenson 30 years ago. However, it gained popularity recently with Facebook’s renaming to Meta Platforms Inc. It is a shared virtual environment that can be accessed via the internet.

Hyundai gave several examples on how Hyundai might connect the metaverse with the real world.

Vehicle that is able to be converted into an office or entertainment area with a 3D gaming platform.

– Smart factory, where people outside can remotely control robots and interact with the products within the plant.

Individuals with mobility impairments or those who prefer to travel alone can use automated personal transport devices.

The automaker claimed that it is building a Mobility of Things Ecosystem, which will connect modular robotic platforms and provide different mobility services.

One module called Plug & Drive or PnD is a single-wheel robotics platform that combines intelligent steering, braking and suspension with in-wheel electric drive, cameras and lidar sensors for automated operation.

Hyundai has four PnD module bundles that are suitable for larger logistics and mobility tasks. One application can also be used in conjunction with a robot-dog called “What else?” – Spot.