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Welding robots to replace humans in HD Hyundai's shipyards by 2027

Published: 08 May. 2025, 16:44 Updated: 08 May. 2025, 18:00

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

From second from right, Song Young-hoon, head of the solutions division at HD Hyundai Robotics; Lee Dong-joo, head of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's Manufacturing Innovation Lab; Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI; and Kim Sung-won, CTO of Vazil Company pose for a photo after signing a MOU to develop humanoid robots for shipyard welding at a ceremony in Houston, Texas. [HD HYUNDAI]

HD Hyundai will help two AI startups develop humanoid robots to work in shipyards, aiming to take the industry's most dangerous tasks out of human hands.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HD Hyundai Robotics signed a memorandum of understanding with Houston, Texas-based AI humanoid startup Persona AI and Busan-based Vazil Company to develop AI-powered welding humanoids for hazard-prone shipyards, the group said Thursday.

Under the deal, the partnered firms will develop and test welding humanoids to improve efficiency and complete dangerous tasks in the place of human workers at shipyards. The aim is to finish development by 2026 and to certify and commercialize the equipment for on-site use in 2027.

HD Hyundai Robotics will develop the welding automation technology and test the robots’ functionality. Its shipbuilding affiliate will install and test the humanoids at its shipyards and provide the data and skills needed to adjust the robots to building sites.

Persona AI will develop the humanoid’s hardware as well as AI-based robot control and machine-learning algorithms. Vazil Company is responsible for developing the welding tools that will be mounted on the humanoid and for building the test bed.

A HD Hyundai spokesperson said the welding humanoid would not only boost productivity and reduce workloads, but also enhance safety at the shipyards

HD Hyundai has ramped up its safety precautions and support system for workers at shipyards after multiple deaths at its construction sites in 2024. The conglomerate created a foundation dedicated to supporting the families of workers killed in industrial accidents at shipyards in September of last year, the first of its kind in Korea.

“We aim to create a new paradigm in shipbuilding automation by developing humanoids optimized for work in shipyards,” the spokesperson added.

Persona AI CEO Nic Radford called the application of AI to manufacturing processes at shipyards a “meaningful challenge.”

“This partnership with HD Hyundai and Vazil is more than symbolic — deploying to the shipyard is one of the largest real-world proving grounds for Persona’s tough humanoid robots,” Radford said.

“We will develop humanoids capable of precise welding to take shipbuilding automation to the next level,” said Vazil Company Chief Technology Officer Kim Sung-won.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]