Hyundai Motor Group unveils cutting-edge wireless tech for smart factories

Boston Dynamics' quadruped robot Spot, left, is dispatched at Hyundai Motor's manufacturing facility at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Hyundai Motor Group has unveiled its cutting-edge wireless technology used for the carmaker’s smart factory, the company said Wednesday.

At Hyundai Motor and Kia's production facilities in Korea and United States, an array of high-tech, wireless-enabled robots — including automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots for logistics and even Boston Dynamics’ hazard-detecting robot dog Spot — play a central role in the manufacturing process.

These robots do not follow preset paths; they must respond in real time to rapidly changing environments.

To ensure a high level of responsiveness and precision, a robust and stable wireless communication infrastructure is essential.

In recognition of the increasing sophistication and scale of robotic operations in their plants, Hyundai Motor and Kia have adopted next-generation wireless technologies to keep pace with evolving production demands.

Notably, the companies have developed the world’s first integrated wireless communication terminal capable of simultaneously processing Wi-Fi 6 and private 5G (P-5G) networks. Patents for the technology have been filed in both Korea and the United States, and the system has already been deployed at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia since late last year.

Traditionally, separate terminals were required to handle Wi-Fi and mobile networks, forcing manufacturers to choose one system per robot. This created a critical vulnerability: If a network failed, the robot would stop operating.

As automation rapidly increases across Hyundai and Kia's production lines, the volume of data transmitted between robots has grown exponentially. To prevent potential bottlenecks or outages, the automakers needed to diversify and stabilize communication channels.

"The newly developed dual-mode terminals not only reduce the number, size, weight and cost of communication devices, but also offer seamless network redundancy," a Hyundai Motor official said.

"If the P-5G network experiences a disruption, the system automatically switches to Wi-Fi 6, ensuring continuous operation without communication breakdowns."