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[Photo News] Dancing robots
Boston Dynamics' four-legged industrial surveillance robot Spot dazzled the audience and judges at this year's America's Got Talent by performing a group dancing act. Five Spots carried out synchronized choreography as they moved their legs and bodies to the tune of "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen while using their robot arms to lip-sync the lyrics of the song. The robots, which are developed by Hyundai Motor-backed Boston Dynamics, received unanimous "yes" votes from the four judges to advance to the next stage. (Screen capture from America's Got Talent YouTube channel)
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Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
[Photo News] Dancing robots
Boston Dynamics' four-legged industrial surveillance robot Spot dazzled the audience and judges at this year's America's Got Talent by performing a group dancing act. Five Spots carried out synchronized choreography as they moved their legs and bodies to the tune of "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen while using their robot arms to lip-sync the lyrics of the song. The robots, which are developed by Hyundai Motor-backed Boston Dynamics, received unanimous "yes" votes from the four judges to advance to the next stage. (Screen capture from America's Got Talent YouTube channel)
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Kospi soars to over 3-yr high on foreign buying spree, eased tariff uncertainties
South Korea's stock market surpassed the 2,900-point mark for the first time in over three years Wednesday, extending its winning streak to a sixth day, thanks to continued foreign inflow and progress in trade talks between the world's two biggest economies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 35.19 points, or 1.23 percent, to close at 2,907.04, marking the highest level since January 14, 2022, when the index closed at 2,921.92. Trade volume was heavy at 383.5 million shares worth 12.3 trillion won ($9 billion), with winners outnumbering losers 600 to 281. Foreign investors continued their purchases of local shares for a sixth consecutive session. "The Kospi breached the 2,900-point mark on upbeat momentum created by favorable US-China trade negotiations and foreign investors' continued purchase of big-cap shares," Lee Jae-won, an analyst at Shinhan Securities, said. High-level officials from Washington and Beijing held trade talks in London for two days through Tuesday, where they agreed on a framework to carry out measures to resolve their trade disputes on rare earths and technology. Kim Jae-seung, an analyst at Hyundai Motor Securities, said expectations on the Lee Jae-myung government's policy to boost the local stock market also improved market sentiment. Lee, who took office last week, has pledged to usher in the 5,000-point era and get rid of the so-called Korea discount, which refers to investors' tendency undervalue South Korean assets due to geopolitical risks or other issues. Overnight, Wall Street also closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.25 percent, the S&P 500 adding 0.55 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite gaining 0.63 percent. In Seoul, tech behemoth Samsung Electronics increased 1.18 percent to 59,900 won, and its chipmaking rival SK hynix jumped 4.12 percent to 240,000 won. Top automaker Hyundai Motor climbed 2.03 percent to 201,000 won, while its sister Kia advanced 2.54 percent to 96,900 won. Hyundai Motor's auto-parts making affiliate, Hyundai Mobis, soared 4.91 percent to 288,500 won. Major nuclear power plant manufacturer Doosan Enerbility also surged 6.46 percent to 51,100 won, and Kakao, the operator of the country's dominant mobile messenger, went up 2.8 percent to 51,400 won. On the other hand, some of the big-cap defense and shipbuilding shares lost ground as investors sought to gain profit following their rally the previous day. Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace lost 3.31 percent to 905,000 won, and leading shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy dropped 2.11 percent to 418,000 won. Major financial firms also went down, with KB Financial dipping 3.34 percent to 107,200 won and Shinhan Financial losing 1.81 percent to 59,800 won. The local currency was trading at 1,375.0 won against the greenback at 3:30 p.m., down 10.7 won from the previous session. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
05-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Will new Nexo revive shrinking hydrogen mobility push?
Hyundai set to boost hydrogen-driven eco-friendly transition with new fuel cell SUV, but market interest in hydrogen mobility remains low Hyundai Motor is set to launch the fully revamped Nexo as early as this month in Korea, seven years after introducing its sole fuel-cell-powered sport utility vehicle currently on the market. With improved performance and fuel efficiency over its predecessor, the new Nexo is positioned to lead Hyundai's initiative to drive the global transition to hydrogen mobility — a vision first outlined in 1998 by Chung Mong-koo, honorary chair and father of current Chair Chung Euisun. 'Nexo represents the essence of sustainable mobility proposed by Hyundai Motor,' said Chung Yoo-seok, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor, during the vehicle's unveiling at the Seoul Mobility Show in April. 'We will accelerate the expansion of the global hydrogen ecosystem beyond Korea's borders and aim to achieve our annual sales target of 11,000 units.' However, recent market conditions cast uncertainty over the ambitions of the world's leading hydrogen vehicle maker. Declining demand for fuel cells In recent years, Korea's fuel-cell electric vehicle market has declined. According to SNE Research, sales dropped from 10,336 vehicles in 2022 to 3,688 in 2024, marking a 65 percent decrease. This downturn reflects deeper structural challenges for FCEVs, rather than a temporary pause, as the transition to eco-friendly mobility is increasingly driven by battery electric vehicles, experts said. 'Many consumers are still hesitant even about EVs, which are far more familiar,' said an industry source who requested anonymity. 'So it's no surprise that skepticism runs even deeper when it comes to hydrogen.' Limited charging access and high hydrogen fuel prices also remain major hurdles for fuel cell mobility. Korea has around 221 hydrogen stations — more than Japan, the US or Germany — but drivers still face inconvenience when refueling. 'Due to amplified safety concerns, strict regulations have resulted in limited station hours and the placement of stations far from residential areas, even though such risks can be mitigated through multiple layers of safety measures,' said Lee Ho-geun, professor of automotive engineering at Daeduk University. Amid these ongoing challenges, the launch of the new model is expected to have a limited impact on the market. Hyundai sold around 750 FCEVs domestically in the first quarter of 2025, and projections suggest that total annual sales may remain close to last year's levels despite the new launch. The global market also shows limited reason for optimism, with only Hyundai and Toyota currently active in the passenger hydrogen vehicle segment. Worldwide sales of FCEVs dropped from 20,704 sales in 2022 to 12,866 in 2024. The decline appears sharper in the passenger segment because China, which has grown to account for 55 percent of global FCEV sales, remains focused mainly on commercial rather than private vehicles. 'Globally, the eco-friendly vehicle market is still largely driven by government policies, such as subsidies, since automakers have yet to achieve the cost and performance competitiveness needed to rival internal combustion engine models,' said Lee. 'Because many countries want to protect their local industries and lack proprietary hydrogen vehicle technology, they are not actively pursuing policies to adopt these vehicles.' Staunch commitment, but long road ahead Despite the discouraging outlook for hydrogen, Hyundai Motor Group has strengthened its momentum in hydrogen mobility efforts since last year, aiming to retain its leading position in the hydrogen mobility era expected to follow EVs. In 2024, it integrated the fuel cell business of its parts-making unit, Hyundai Mobis, into Hyundai Motor Co. to boost synergy between hydrogen technology and vehicle manufacturing. Separately, the group established an overseeing team to complete the hydrogen business value chain, moving beyond a sole focus on fuel cell production. The group also forged partnerships with rivals Toyota and General Motors to collaborate on hydrogen strategies. 'We will work with global partners and harness our full capabilities across the hydrogen value chain to accelerate the adoption of a hydrogen-powered society,' emphasized the group's Vice Chair Chang Jae-hoon at the World Hydrogen Summit 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in May. Lee also echoed Hyundai's expansion of cooperation with other companies, saying, 'Hyundai needs to expand the overall market by licensing some basic technologies to other automakers at minimal royalty fees.' However, Kim Pil-su, a car engineering professor at Daelim University, said yearslong efforts are still needed before fuel cell vehicles can become a profitable business. 'The hydrogen mobility sector still faces numerous challenges, including high costs and issues related to hydrogen generation, delivery and storage,' he said, noting that automakers in the US and Europe have abandoned plans to launch fuel-cell passenger cars. 'For hydrogen to be truly eco-friendly (to be widely accepted by countries), it must move beyond heavy reliance on fossil fuels for production. However, mass production through water electrolysis is expected to take over a decade.'
