HD Hyundai Tests Out a Humanoid Welding Robot in a Real Shipyard

HD Hyundai Robotics and HD Hyundai Samho are teaming up to test out robots in shipbuilding - not Hyundai's own robots, but German robots.

Parent company Hyundai has a deep bench in robotic mobility: it owns Boston Dynamics, a leading maker of humanoid and quadruped robots. It also has its own in-house industrial automation division, HD Hyundai Robotics, which produces floor-mounted robotic arms and automated welding machines. But for this trial, HD Hyundai will be working with an outside company called Neura Robotics, based outside Stuttgart.

Neura's just-released humanoid robot, 4NE1, is an AI-powered system built to step in "when skilled workers are hard to find" to complete "industrial workflows." Neura says that it is a "cognitive robot" that can learn from its environment and navigate industrial sites to perform complex tasks. Payloads range up to 220 pounds.

Under the partnership agreement, HD Hyundai Samho will provide real-world shipyard test sites for Neura to try out its new robots on a variety of tasks in ship assembly and welding. HD Hyundai Robotics will validate the system's performance.

It is the second time this year that HD Hyundai has announced a robotics partnership. In May, HD KSOE said that it had signed a joint program agreement with Vazil Company and Persona AI to create a humanoid welding robot. The first prototypes are due at the end of 2026, with plans for field testing and full commercial deployment in 2027.

Like most shipbuilders in advanced economies, HD Hyundai faces a serious workforce shortage and has an urgent need for labor-saving methods. As previous generations of shipbuilders reach retirement age, younger workers have not stepped in to join the industry in large numbers, and Korean yards have had to fill out their ranks by recruiting heavily in Southeast Asia. Thailand in particular has sent thousands of shipbuilding workers to find jobs in South Korea. As of 2024, about 16 percent of the nation's shipyard workforce were foreign workers, and the hiring data suggests that this will only rise. In 2023, the overwhelming majority of new hires at Korean shipyards were foreigners with temporary-worker visas.