Hyundai Motors

Into the Metaverse

Hyundai Motor shares its vision of a new metamobility concept that aims to affect change in the real world.

The metaverse has piqued the interest of retail, entertainment and hospitality companies in recent months and now the automobile sector is making a move into the digital realm too, looking to augmented and virtual reality to explore the future of mobility.

Under the theme Expanding Human Reach, Hyundai Motor has shared its vision for a pioneering metamobility concept, going beyond physical movements through robotics and the metaverse to affect change in the real world. The venture forms part of the Seoul-based car maker’s ambition to become a smart mobility solution provider, having sharpened its focus on advanced robotics with the aim of enhancing people’s lives. Hyundai sees robotics and mobility as complementary, and as such has developed a Mobility of Things (MoT) ecosystem wherein traditionally inanimate things – from small objects to community spaces – will gain mobility using robotics technologies. This could result in a hotel’s service trolley making its own way from the guestroom to the lobby for example, or a vehicle being transformed into an entertainment space or meeting room. The robots act as a medium between virtual spaces and the real world, enabling users to make changes in the metaverse to be reflected in reality.

“The idea behind metamobility is that space, time and distance will all become irrelevant. By connecting robots to the metaverse, we will be able to move freely between the real world and virtual reality,” explains Chang Song, Hyundai Motor Group President and Head of Transportation-as-a-Service. “Going one step further from the immersive ‘be there’ proxy experience that the metaverse provides, robots will become an extension of our own physical senses, allowing us to reshape and enrich our daily lives with metamobility.”

Other applications for the technology include automated logistics, reconfigurable interior space and public transportation with individual compartments for social distancing and last mile mobility, which align with Hyundai’s belief that robots are more than just machines, andwill soon become useful, trusted companions in our everyday lives.