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Feels like we said this about previous buyers. All I'm seeing is another sucker to keep the money rolling for more of these sweet viral robot demos that never s

Feels like we said this about previous buyers. All I'm seeing is another sucker to keep the money rolling for more of these sweet viral robot demos that never seem to materialize into much of anything.

orzig 6y ago
Keep in mind that “previous buyers” is a very small sample size, and there are a huge number of contributing variables. It is certainly not guaranteed to work out, but given the value of really nailing a leap in the space, the price does not seem like an unreasonable gamble
- JshWright 6y ago
  Atlas can definitely nail a leap at this point...
tooltalk 6y ago
The two previous buyers, Google and Softbank, didn't have much presence in robotics, unlike Hyundai. Hyundai recently spun off the automation business to a separate company, Hyundai Robotics, early last year.
- LeifCarrotson 6y ago
  True, but this is Hydundai Motor Group, not Hyundai Robotics. The two are separate. IMO, this is more about Hyundai's autonomous vehicle efforts. A BD robot is almost completely different than an industrial automation robot, the former attempts to use 3D mapping to dynamically generate an unpredictable path around obstacles between two points, while the latter is designed to always follow exactly the same kinematics between hard-coded points. A car with a steering wheel and forward/reverse electric motors is a lot more comparable to a Boston Dynamics robot than a 6-axis industrial arm is.
  - tooltalk 6y ago
    >> IMO, this is more about Hyundai's autonomous vehicle efforts. I disagree. As the article points out: ..., why not just buy an autonomous car startup instead? Boston Dynamics is more about “robots,” which happens to be dead last on the list above. ... I think Hyundai's VEX, Wearable Vest Exoskeleton, is inline with what the company is trying to do with BD: https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/story/2019/09/hyundai-motor-group-develops-wearable-vest-exoskeleton-to-alleviate-burden-in-overhead-work/14076/ https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/story/2019/09/hyundai-motor...
dustingetz 6y ago
the sucker is the stock market buyer, but those "suckers" are getting rich
- parhamn 6y ago
  The stock market buyer when the music stops*. The music doesn’t seem to stop these days.
  - godzillabrennus 6y ago
    Brrrrr goes the printing press
KONAir 6y ago
Even if 1 out of 20 gimmicky bots work out or better yet solves a problem another Hyundai platform has makes that purchase worthy.
tim333 6y ago
Well, Hyundai's market cap just went up $10bn on the announcement so the market seems to feel it's a win.

orzig 6y ago

Keep in mind that “previous buyers” is a very small sample size, and there are a huge number of contributing variables. It is certainly not guaranteed to work out, but given the value of really nailing a leap in the space, the price does not seem like an unreasonable gamble

JshWright 6y ago
Atlas can definitely nail a leap at this point...

tooltalk 6y ago

The two previous buyers, Google and Softbank, didn't have much presence in robotics, unlike Hyundai. Hyundai recently spun off the automation business to a separate company, Hyundai Robotics, early last year.

LeifCarrotson 6y ago
True, but this is Hydundai Motor Group, not Hyundai Robotics. The two are separate. IMO, this is more about Hyundai's autonomous vehicle efforts. A BD robot is almost completely different than an industrial automation robot, the former attempts to use 3D mapping to dynamically generate an unpredictable path around obstacles between two points, while the latter is designed to always follow exactly the same kinematics between hard-coded points. A car with a steering wheel and forward/reverse electric motors is a lot more comparable to a Boston Dynamics robot than a 6-axis industrial arm is.
- tooltalk 6y ago
  >> IMO, this is more about Hyundai's autonomous vehicle efforts. I disagree. As the article points out: ..., why not just buy an autonomous car startup instead? Boston Dynamics is more about “robots,” which happens to be dead last on the list above. ... I think Hyundai's VEX, Wearable Vest Exoskeleton, is inline with what the company is trying to do with BD: https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/story/2019/09/hyundai-motor-group-develops-wearable-vest-exoskeleton-to-alleviate-burden-in-overhead-work/14076/ https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/story/2019/09/hyundai-motor...

dustingetz 6y ago

the sucker is the stock market buyer, but those "suckers" are getting rich

parhamn 6y ago
The stock market buyer when the music stops*. The music doesn’t seem to stop these days.
- godzillabrennus 6y ago
  Brrrrr goes the printing press

KONAir 6y ago

Even if 1 out of 20 gimmicky bots work out or better yet solves a problem another Hyundai platform has makes that purchase worthy.

tim333 6y ago

Well, Hyundai's market cap just went up $10bn on the announcement so the market seems to feel it's a win.