Hyundai and Kia show 200 factory technologies: AI agents, 3D inspection, robots

Hyundai Motor and Kia will show about 200 new manufacturing technologies at E-FOREST TECH DAY 2026, held Oct 19 to 21 at their Uiwang Research Institute, the companies said in a press release on Hyundai's global newsroom on Oct 18.

The release frames the seventh edition around the move to software-defined factories (SDF): a unified data collection and management framework and a common development environment, a rollout plan built on standardized technology for plants in Korea and abroad, digital twins that simulate real factory equipment, and AI agents written for factory work such as data retrieval, manufacturing know-how search and equipment manual creation.

In automation the companies highlight a tunnel-type exterior inspection system that checks finished cars through 3D simulation, developed in house in place of third-party systems and slated for plants in Korea and overseas; mold-free additive manufacturing and smart energy solutions are also on show, and partner seminars will cover physical AI and manufacturing AI.

From the Oct 16 media preview, Yonhap Infomax reported further figures that the English release does not contain: a factory AI agent platform called E-FOREST Polaris piloted at the Ulsan EV plant last month, and a standardized logistics robot platform that cuts build cost by about 30% and charging time from two hours to as little as 12 minutes with a hybrid LTO and lithium-ion battery.

In MEKAWIRE's records this is Hyundai Motor Group's third physical-AI move in three weeks, after Boston Dynamics began paid Atlas shifts at the Georgia Metaplant on Sep 30 and Hyundai and Kia took a strategic stake in VAST Data on Oct 13.