Hyundai Motor Group and Boston Dynamics will make an initial investment of more than $400 million and launch of a new institute, Boston Dynamics AI Institute. Both entities aim to make fundamental advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and intelligent machines through this new Institute and it will be led by Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics.
As a research-first organisation, the Institute will work on solving the most important and difficult challenges facing the creation of advanced robots. Elite talent across AI, robotics, computing, machine learning and engineering will develop technology for robots and use it to advance their capabilities and usefulness. The Institute is designed to combine the best features of university research labs with those of corporate development labs while working in four core technical areas: cognitive AI, athletic AI, organic hardware design as well as ethics and policy.
“Our mission is to create future generations of advanced robots and intelligent machines that are smarter, more agile, perceptive and safer than anything that exists today,” said Marc Raibert executive director of Boston Dynamics AI Institute.
According to Hyundai Group, the Institute will invest resources across the technical areas of cognitive AI, athletic AI and organic hardware design with each discipline contributing to progress in advanced machine capabilities. In addition to developing technology with its own staff, the Institute plans to partner with universities and corporate research labs.
The Institute will be headquartered in Kendall Square research community in Cambridge, Massachusetts and plans to hire AI and robotics researchers, software and hardware engineers, and technicians at all levels.
In addition to the Institute, Hyundai Motor Group separately announced plans to establish a Global Software Center to lead development of its software capabilities and technologies and to enhance development of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs). The Center will be established on the basis of 42dot, an autonomous driving software and mobility platform startup recently acquired by the Group.
Just to remind our readers, Hyundai Motor Group bought the controlling interest in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank. According to the deal, the American robotics developer has been valued at $1.1 billion and Hyundai has 80 percent shares while SoftBank still owns 20 percent.
