[Edaily Reporter Shin Young-bin] Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot “Atlas” is expected to serve as a litmus test for South Korea’s robotics supply chain. With analyses suggesting that prices could drop to around 100 million won once mass production of Atlas begins in earnest, domestic parts suppliers are emerging as key players in ensuring the price competitiveness of humanoid robots.

Atlas: The Catalyst for Competition in Humanoid Mass Production

According to the information technology (IT) industry on the 18th, Goldman Sachs recently estimated the bill of materials (BOM) cost for Atlas at approximately $74,850 (about 113.93 million won) in a report on the Korean robotics industry. Based on this, the firm analyzed that the price of Atlas would start at around $120,000 (approximately 182.66 million won) initially and could drop to around $70,000 (approximately 106.56 million won) as mass production scales up.

Currently, the high price of humanoid robots is cited as the biggest obstacle to their adoption in the field. If prices drop, the pace of adoption in manufacturing sites—including the automotive, logistics, electronics, and shipbuilding industries—could accelerate.

Boston Dynamics has previously announced its goal of increasing Atlas’s annual production capacity to 30,000 units by 2028. Based on the workforce structure of #Hyundai and #Kia’s manufacturing processes, the report concluded that this target is not overly ambitious in the short term.

Of the approximately 90,000 manufacturing workers at Hyundai and Kia, it is estimated that the sequencing process accounts for about 10% and the final assembly process for about 40%. With these two processes alone employing about 45,000 workers, the analysis suggests that demand for humanoids may arise starting in areas with relatively low levels of automation.

The key factor is price competitiveness. For humanoids to move beyond the research and development or pilot project stages and into actual factories, costs—including not only the price per robot but also maintenance, training data acquisition, and operating expenses—must fall to an affordable level.

The report explained that, given Hyundai Motor and Kia’s stable internal demand and cash flow, the prospects for Atlas’s adoption are high. It is anticipated that Atlas will first be deployed at Hyundai Motor Group’s manufacturing sites, primarily for sequencing and assembly processes, and will subsequently expand to global plants.

Automotive Parts Technology Expands into Robot Joints

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the role of Korean parts suppliers could also grow. Automotive steering and braking components and robot actuators share a similar core technological foundation, including motors, gearboxes, and electronic control units. This means that companies like #Hyundai Mobis and #HL Mando, which have long mass-produced automotive parts, could expand into the supply chain for actuators that serve as humanoid joints.

In particular, robot actuators are core components that function as the “joints” of humanoids. For a robot to move its arms and legs with precision, motors, gearboxes, and control units must work together with a high degree of reliability. Since automotive steering systems also require precise control of a vehicle’s movement, it is believed that the design, control, and mass-production experience of existing automotive parts manufacturers can be applied to the robotics sector.

The fact that Korean automotive parts companies possess quality management and mass production capabilities proven in the global automotive supply chain, as well as overseas production bases in regions such as North America, is another factor attracting the attention of humanoid robot companies outside of China. This is because once humanoid robots move beyond R&D prototypes to the mass production stage—involving tens of thousands of units—the ability to reliably supply components will be a key factor in determining price competitiveness.

In its report, Goldman Sachs noted that Boston Dynamics has designated Hyundai Mobis as a key supplier of humanoid actuators. It also noted that HL Mando has been supplying actuators for quadruped robots in the U.S. since 2022–2023 and is estimated to have recorded 150억 won in related revenue in 2025. The report highlighted as a strength the company’s in-house capabilities in key supply chain components such as motors, ball screws, and controllers.

Some observers expect that the trend in which South Korea emerged as a key hub outside of China in the electric vehicle battery supply chain could be replicated in the humanoid robotics sector. The analysis suggests that, just as the battery industry expanded its global market based on rapid mass production capabilities and responsiveness to customer needs, the convergence of the automotive parts, electronics, battery, and precision manufacturing ecosystems in the humanoid robotics sector could support price reductions and mass production.

20,000 units deployed, 70,000 units produced… South Korea’s ecosystem is expanding

South Korea is viewed as a market that “uses” humanoids while simultaneously growing into a “supply chain that manufactures” them.

Goldman Sachs forecasts that the number of humanoids deployed in South Korea will increase to approximately 20,000 by 2030 and 166,000 by 2035. It is also estimated that the global production scale of humanoids involving Korean companies and supply chains could expand to approximately 74,000 units by 2030 and 412,000 units by 2035.

South Korea’s presence is also evident in the current state of hardware launches. According to the report’s tally of products by region, South Korea has six wheeled humanoids, three bipedal humanoids, and eight dexterous hands. Japan, by contrast, has only two, one, and zero, respectively. Notably, in the field of dexterous hands—commonly referred to as robotic hands—the number of South Korean products exceeded the six from the United States.

However, China is aggressively expanding the market with an overwhelming number of products: 24 wheeled humanoids, 45 bipedal humanoids, and 27 dexterous hands.

In South Korea, robotics hardware and software companies such as #Robotis, #Rainbow Robotics, RealWorld, #NeuroMeka, and #Clobot are expanding the physical AI ecosystem.

Robotis is drawing attention for its actuators, dexterous hands, and action data business, while RealWorld is promoting a robot foundation model specialized in robotic hand manipulation. Competition has intensified not only in the market for finished humanoid robots but also in the detailed supply chain for components such as actuators, robotic hands, batteries, and camera and sensing modules.

An industry insider stated, “The competition in humanoid robots is shifting toward a competition in the hardware ecosystem that can lower the price of finished robot products and ensure a stable supply,” adding, “Domestic companies will likely find opportunities in the markets for core components such as actuators, robotic hands, batteries, and sensing parts.”