Hyundai Showcases 'Atlas' at World Cup Stage, Demonstrates Robotics Competitiveness

Football Star Celebrations and Match Ball Delivery Performance

Demonstrating the Practical Potential of Hyundai's Robotics Technology

Hyundai Motor Company showcased its next-generation mobility technology to football fans around the world at the FIFA World Cup 2026, featuring Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot 'Atlas'.

On July 6 (local time), Hyundai Motor Company announced that Atlas successfully performed a demonstration during halftime of the Round of 16 match at the New York New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey, USA, where the robot handed the match ball to the referee.

Atlas is handing the match ball to the referee on the stage of the round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Hyundai Motor Company

Just before the end of halftime, Atlas appeared from the players' entrance tunnel and excited the crowd by performing celebrations inspired by world-renowned footballers such as Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha, and Son Heung-min.

Atlas then delivered the match ball to the referee with its signature precise movements, marking a symbolic moment that signaled the start of the second half.

Notably, the Atlas featured in this performance is the 'next-generation electric Atlas development model' (hereafter referred to as the development model), which garnered global attention for its movement when it was unveiled for the first time at CES 2026 (Consumer Electronics Show 2026) this January.

At the time, Boston Dynamics revealed various movements of the initial research model and, for the first time, presented the real-world design of the development model.

Subsequently, the movements of the development model have been introduced through brand videos, but this World Cup marked the first time it was demonstrated live in front of the public.

Even in the highly variable environment of a stadium, Atlas was able to perform complex movements stably, demonstrating the practical potential of the future robotics technology pursued by Hyundai Motor Group.

In the Round of 16 stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Atlas is imitating the celebration of British player Harry Kane. Hyundai Motor Company

The entire process of Atlas appearing on the field, delivering the official match ball, and then exiting was made possible by combining 'retargeting technology', which adapts human movements to robot anatomy, reinforcement learning based on thousands of simulations, and full-body control technology that enables all joints to respond as one cohesive system. This allowed for balanced and natural motion.

The movements performed by Atlas were developed based on core competencies that prioritize applicability in real industrial environments. Through this event, Hyundai Motor Company demonstrated that robotics can go beyond technical demonstrations to create new experiences in sports, entertainment, and field operations.

This Atlas performance is part of Hyundai Motor Company's global brand campaign 'Next Starts Now', which has been ongoing since 1999 as an official FIFA partner.

In the campaign video 'School of Football', released before the World Cup, Atlas's process of learning football moves was used to intuitively showcase the company's core robotics technologies, capturing public interest.

Furthermore, in the main 'Next Starts Now' campaign video released on June 1, Atlas was shown entering the stadium with the ball, heightening anticipation for Hyundai's future mobility vision on the World Cup stage.

Meanwhile, on July 7, Hyundai Motor Company plans to release a branded film titled 'The Training Ground' in collaboration with the BBC, presenting the preparation process and technical challenges of the World Cup robotics campaign in a documentary format and sharing the ongoing development journey toward realizing its future robotics vision with the public.

Jisungwon, Executive Vice President of Brand Marketing at Hyundai Motor Company, said, "Hyundai will continue to seamlessly connect human-centered technology with everyday life. Through creative and diverse brand experiences, we will present a new vision of future mobility expanded by robotics, positioning robotics as a partner in humanity's progress."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.