Hyundai Motor has confirmed it will acquire American robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics from Japanese Softbank. Hyundai wants to focus strongly on the production of robots. Earlier this week, there was already a rumor about the takeover.
Hyundai will own 80 percent of Boston Dynamics, while Softbank will keep the other 20 percent, the South Korean company reports. The acquisition puts the value of the robot maker at $ 1.1 billion, but how much Hyundai will pay itself is unknown.
Hyundai wants to take a big step in the robotics market with the acquisition. The goal is to eventually make humanoid robots that could, for example, work in a hospital, the company said. Hyundai also wants to make robots for automating tasks in, for example, logistics. Hyundai wants 20 percent of its turnover to come from robots in the future.
Boston Dynamics is an American manufacturer of advanced robots. The company gained fame with its Spot four-legged friend and humanoid robot Atlas, among other things. The company was acquired by Google in 2013, which sold it on to the Japanese Softbank in 2017.