Hyundai Motor and Kia said they are building a multilateral partnership ecosystem centered on MobED to provide customized robotics solutions for customers.
The automakers said Tuesday they held a launch ceremony for the “MobED Alliance” at the 2026 Smart Factory & Automation Industry Expo (AW2026) at COEX in Seoul and began full-scale domestic sales of MobED.
Attendees included officials from Hyundai Motor and Kia’s Robotics Lab, parts makers such as Hyundai Transys and SL, robotics solution companies including LS TiraYutech and Gaon Robotics, and related organizations such as the Korea AI & Robot Industry Association, the companies said.
Hyundai Motor and Kia said the alliance was designed to meet demand for ready-to-deploy, customized solutions for industrial sites, rather than simple hardware adoption.
MobED, the alliance’s core platform, is a small mobile platform with a new wheel-drive system, the companies said. It is based on four independently driven DnL (Drive-and-Lift) mechanisms to improve its ability to handle changes in ground conditions.
They said MobED can flexibly combine various “top modules” tailored to industry needs, enabling uses such as delivery, patrol, research and video filming. Hyundai Motor and Kia said they plan an ecosystem-led commercialization strategy, supplying complete solutions with specialized partners instead of selling the platform alone.
The MobED Alliance will operate as a four-party cooperation framework involving Hyundai Motor and Kia’s Robotics Lab, domestic parts suppliers, robotics solution companies and related organizations, the companies said.
The Robotics Lab will provide MobED platform development and core technology, while 10 parts suppliers, including Hyundai Transys and SL, will produce and supply key components such as sensors, electronics and batteries, they said.
Five robotics solution companies, including LS TiraYutech and Gaon Robotics, will design customized services based on on-site industrial needs, the companies said. Related organizations, including the Korea AI & Robot Industry Association, will support demonstrations and adoption conditions to help complete a virtuous cycle for the domestic robotics industry, they added.
Hyundai Motor and Kia said they plan to use the alliance to establish a business structure supplying MobED to B2B and B2G markets and to strengthen competitiveness across South Korea’s robotics industry through a sustainable ecosystem model.
At AW2026, the companies said they unveiled a mass-production MobED model in South Korea for the first time and set up a 180-square-meter hands-on booth so customers could experience the technology. The booth included structures simulating outdoor conditions — such as drainage channels, uneven surfaces, slopes and curbs — to show MobED navigating terrain that is difficult for conventional autonomous mobile robots, they said.
Hyundai Motor and Kia said they are offering hands-on trials and purchase consultations at the booth. Customers who cannot visit can submit consultation requests and partnership proposals through the Robotics Lab website, they said.
“MobED, whose innovation has been recognized on the global stage, has been reborn as an even more advanced robotics solution through this alliance,” said Hyun Dong-jin, executive director and head of Hyundai Motor and Kia’s Robotics Lab. “Together with our key partners, we will enhance the competitiveness of the domestic robotics industry and lead the expansion of the physical AI ecosystem.”
MobED previously won the Best of Innovation award in the robotics category at CES 2026, the companies said.
Hyundai Motor and Kia said they will use the alliance to apply physical AI capabilities — combining intelligent software and hardware — more broadly at industrial sites and continue developing technology so robots become practical solutions in customers’ daily lives.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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