HD Hyundai is embarking on the development of South Korea's first welding humanoid in collaboration with specialized artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics corporations.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HD Hyundai Robotics recently announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of a welding humanoid with Persona AI, a specialized AI-based humanoid robotics corporation, and Basil Company, a robotics engineering company, in Houston, Texas, on the 8th.

From the right in the second position are Song Young-hoon, Head of the HD Hyundai Robotics Solutions Institutional Sector, Lee Dong-joo, Head of the HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Manufacturing Innovation Lab Institutional Sector, Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI, and Kim Seong-won, CTO of Basil Company. /Courtesy of HD Hyundai

The participating companies plan to develop a humanoid capable of precise welding tasks using AI and robotics technology. They aim to complete prototype development by 2026 and will begin site demonstrations and commercialization in 2027.

HD Hyundai Robotics will provide AI-based welding automation technology and will be responsible for verifying the performance of the robots. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will test the humanoids in actual shipyard environments and provide data and technical support for field applications.

Persona AI will develop humanoid hardware and AI-based robot control and learning algorithms. Basil Company will develop and build a testbed for the welding tools to be mounted on the humanoids.

A representative from HD Hyundai noted, “The welding humanoid is expected to not only enhance productivity but also significantly reduce the burden on workers and improve safety.” They added, “By implementing a humanoid optimized for shipyard work, we will create a new paradigm for automation in the shipbuilding industry.”