HD Hyundai Pushes Humanoid Shipyard Automation

A robot from Germany’s Neura Robotics, which is collaborating with HD Hyundai (Photo source: Neura Robotics) HD Hyundai unveiling its first internally developed humanoid robot next week is part of a strategy to transform from a traditional manufacturing business into a high-tech platform company. The intention is to entrust dangerous tasks such as welding and painting to robots to ensure worker safety while simultaneously boosting productivity. Attention is also focused on Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries, which are speeding up the construction of a ‘smart shipyard’ spearheaded by artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots, alongside HD Hyundai. According to the industry on Oct. 13, HD Hyundai is fostering humanoids as a core business for building the ‘Future of Shipyard’ (FOS). The company is focusing on securing automation technologies, including robots, with the goal of establishing the FOS by 2030. The FOS is a project that applies advanced technologies such as digital twins, AI, and big data across the shipyard to increase productivity and efficiency. Evaluations suggest that HD Hyundai Robotics, a subsidiary specializing in robots under HD Hyundai, unveiling a humanoid prototype for the first time at the ‘2026 Future Innovation Tech Expo (FIX 2026)’ held at Daegu EXCO on Oct. 21 to 24 is the first step. HD Hyundai is pushing for the FOS primarily to create a safe shipbuilding workplace while simultaneously maximizing work efficiency. Shipyards are considered to have a high level of work risk even among industrial sites. Once the FOS construction is completed, it is projected that not only will accidents decrease, but productivity will also increase by about 30%, and the shipbuilding period will be shortened by about 30%. HD Hyundai is concentrating on securing advanced technologies specialized for the shipyard environment, including humanoids, in collaboration with global specialized companies. Following the start of joint development of a welding humanoid for shipyards with U.S.-based Persona AI and others in May last year, the company also set out to develop a quadrupedal walking robot with Germany’s Neura Robotics in July. Last month, it accelerated the acquisition of robot hand technology capable of precise work by investing about 13 billion won (about $9.66 million) in Aidin Robotics, a company specializing in robot sensory technology. Through this, the plan is to expand the automation area from welding to polishing and grinding, and to secure humanoid technology optimized for the complex shipyard work environment. The digital twin is also a pillar of the FOS. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering opened the ‘Global Marine Center,’ a base for digital innovation in the shipbuilding industry, with ‘Siemens Digital Industries Software’ on Oct. 13. The plan is to implement a digital shipyard where production processes and facility operations can be pre-applied and verified in a virtual environment, and to apply this to overall production operations to increase work efficiency. This movement to secure advanced technologies is spreading throughout the domestic shipbuilding industry. Hanwha Ocean has partnered with domestic robot companies A-Robot and NdotLight to push for the verification of humanoids specialized for shipyards. Samsung Heavy Industries has also collaborated with the Korea Institute of Robotics and Technology Convergence to develop shipyard-specialized humanoids. However, there are numerous technical challenges before humanoids can be deployed in earnest at actual shipyards. In the shipbuilding process, work locations and surrounding environments change frequently, and workers and large equipment move together. This is why the movement and work safety of robots, as well as welding quality, must be thoroughly verified. Integration with existing production facilities and safety training for workers are also cited as tasks to be resolved. An industry official said, “Shipyards have complex working environments and many dangerous processes, so there is a high need for robot automation,” and added, “Humanoids will be of great help in increasing work efficiency.”