Photo: Boston Dynamics
On Thursday, December 10, a major decision about the future of both the auto and robotics industries will likely be officially announced, as Hyundai Group and SoftBank Group are in talks about a possible exchange of ownership of Boston Dynamics, the company that brought us the freakishly articulated Spot and Atlas.
For years now, Hyundai has been playing with the idea of taking its robotics efforts to a whole new level. The South Koreans have an entire division dedicated to the robot automation industry, and getting access to Spot and related technologies makes perfect sense.
According to Korea Economic Daily, citing sources close to the matter, Hyundai is to pay close to 1 billion dollars ($921 million) for the American company. No other official details are known at this time.
The target of the acquisition, Boston Dynamics, has been around for nearly three decades now but only recently started enjoying the fruits of its labor.
The robot maker began selling the Spot in the summer of this year. As the group's star product, the dog-shaped robot can be used for a variety of tasks and in a variety of fields, and that means it does not come cheap.
There are three variants of the Spot available, and they have a price tag similar to that of a Porsche car. The one intended for general use is called Explorer, and it’s priced at $74,500. It comes with two batteries, a charger, a tablet controller, a case for storage and transportation, and software updates when they become available.
It’s not yet clear how Hyundai will leverage the power granted by the Boston Dynamics technologies, but knowing the South Koreans, it’ll probably not be long until something unexpected is presented.
As said, an official announcement on the sale is expected today, December 10, and we’ll update the story as soon as we learn more.
According to Korea Economic Daily, citing sources close to the matter, Hyundai is to pay close to 1 billion dollars ($921 million) for the American company. No other official details are known at this time.
The target of the acquisition, Boston Dynamics, has been around for nearly three decades now but only recently started enjoying the fruits of its labor.
The robot maker began selling the Spot in the summer of this year. As the group's star product, the dog-shaped robot can be used for a variety of tasks and in a variety of fields, and that means it does not come cheap.
There are three variants of the Spot available, and they have a price tag similar to that of a Porsche car. The one intended for general use is called Explorer, and it’s priced at $74,500. It comes with two batteries, a charger, a tablet controller, a case for storage and transportation, and software updates when they become available.
It’s not yet clear how Hyundai will leverage the power granted by the Boston Dynamics technologies, but knowing the South Koreans, it’ll probably not be long until something unexpected is presented.
As said, an official announcement on the sale is expected today, December 10, and we’ll update the story as soon as we learn more.
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