Hyundai Motor unveils EV recharging robot

Industry

Published: 21 Mar. 2023, 13:55

Hyundai Motor unveils EV recharging robot

A charing robot charges an Ioniq 6. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Just park your electric car, and a robot will automatically find the charge port and start charging the battery.

Don’t worry about closing the port door after charging. The robot will do that for you, too.

Hyundai's EV charging robot comes with a camera that calculates the location and angle of the charging port. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor on Tuesday released a video featuring its latest robot arm charging an Ioniq 6 electric car. The robot even comes with a camera that calculates the location and angle of the charging port in the darkest hours of the night.

Hyundai Motor's EV charging robot [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The water-proof charging robot works in extremely high or low temperatures as well, Hyundai said.

It also comes with a Safety Pole nearby, which helps the robot detect obstacles and prevent accidents.

The charging robot will appear at the Seoul Mobility Show, Korea's largest auto event, slated to begin on March 31 at Kintex, Gyeonggi.

Though no decision has been made on when to commence mass production, Hyundai said the robot will be placed in charging facilities run by the automaker, including E-pit, its ultra-rapid charging station.

Many of Korea's major companies have been focusing on robots as of late, believing them to be a major growth engine.

On Tuesday, Doosan Robotics signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Guangxi Pinge Digital Industry Intelligent to jointly develop a robot that can be used in medicine.

The robot can test different types of samples simultaneously by modularizing processes such as sample homogenization and microorganism cultivation.

The robot will provide real-time monitoring, too.

The world's robot market, which was valued at $28.2 billion this year, will likely exceed $83.1 billion in 2030, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Doosan Robotics CEO Ryu Jung-hoon, left, takes a photo with Liang Zhihong, CEO of Guangxi Pinge Digital Industry Intelligent after signing an agreement to develop a medical robot. [DOOSAN ROBOTICS]

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]