Hyundai Wia debuts fully autonomous forklift at Kia factory
Summary
Hyundai Wia said Monday that it has developed an autonomous forklift that can load cargo entirely on its own, a first for a Korean company. The forklift will start logistics work in May 2027 at Kia’s AutoLand Hwaseong assembly complex in Gyeonggi Province. It uses lidar, vision sensors, safety scanners and digital twin technology to navigate factory floors and plan routes. The vehicle can carry up to 4 tons and travel at up to 6.5 kilometers per hour.
Key Facts
- Hyundai Wia said the forklift was developed using experience from mass-producing autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs.
- The company said the system focuses most heavily on loading and unloading, which it described as the most technically demanding part of forklift operation.
- Vision sensors help the forklift identify each pallet’s exact position, including shifts caused by a truck sinking slightly under weight or uneven ground.
- Safety scanners on all four sides stop the forklift immediately if it detects an obstacle.
- A Hyundai Wia official said the unmanned forklift will help diversify the company’s industrial robot lineup and support expansion of its H-Motion mobile robot brand globally.
Hyundai Wia's unmanned forklift / Courtesy of Hyundai Wia
Hyundai Wia, the auto parts and industrial machinery manufacturing arm of Hyundai Motor Group, said Monday that it has developed an autonomous forklift capable of loading cargo entirely on its own — a first for a Korean company.
The self-operating vehicle will begin logistics duties in May 2027 at Kia’s AutoLand Hwaseong assembly complex in Gyeonggi Province.
The forklift navigates factory floors independently using lidar — a sensor that maps surroundings with laser pulses — along with vision sensors and safety scanners. Hyundai Wia said it drew on its experience mass-producing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), wheeled robots that move through warehouses and plants without fixed tracks, to develop the technology.
The system also relies on "digital twin" technology, a virtual replica of the factory, to calculate optimal routes.
The company said it focused most heavily on loading and unloading, the most technically demanding part of forklift operation.
Vision sensors pinpoint each pallet's exact position, accounting for a truck's slight sinking under weight and shifts caused by uneven ground. The vehicle can also adjust its posture for sloped ramps when loading containers.
The forklift can carry up to 4 tons, comparable to a mid-sized forklift, and travels at a maximum of 6.5 kilometers per hour. Safety scanners on all four sides stop it immediately if an obstacle is detected.
"Supplying this unmanned forklift allows us to further diversify our industrial robot lineup for manufacturing sites," a Hyundai Wia official said, adding the company aims to expand its global presence through its H-Motion line of mobile robots.
The forklift joins Hyundai Wia's existing AMR and parking robot products under the H-Motion brand.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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