Boston Dynamics unveiled the most recent model of its humanoid Atlas robotic Monday at CES in Las Vegas. The robotic, with a glowing circle for a face, a completely electrical, battery-powered physique, and joints that may rotate 360 levels, is so superior that it’ll quickly be working alongside human manufacturing unit employees for mum or dad firm Hyundai, the businesses claimed.
Hyundai mentioned it plans on mass-producing Atlas as “production-ready humanoid robots” that can be put to work on the automaker’s automotive crops, beginning with the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant in Savannah, Georgia. The corporate estimates it is going to produce 30,000 robots yearly beginning in 2028.
The corporate additionally plans on placing the primary Atlas robots to work that 12 months “on processes with confirmed security and high quality advantages, akin to elements sequencing.” By 2030, Hyundai says that Atlas will stage as much as duties involving “repetitive motions, heavy hundreds, and different advanced operations.” The automaker envisions a “harmonious collaboration between people and robots,” regardless of widespread fears about job losses on account of elevated automation.
Hyundai kicked off its keynote with a Okay-pop dance quantity that includes its Spot robots (which lasted about so long as one of many robots took to open a door afterward). The star of the present was a remotely-piloted Atlas prototype making its public debut. A future manufacturing mannequin that can really be rolling out to Hyundai and different prospects was additionally proven off, albeit static and non-working.
The polished product model of Atlas can be water-proof and able to withstanding temperatures all the way down to -4 levels and as much as 104 levels Fahrenheit. It additionally options tactile sensing in its fingers and can swap out its personal batteries once they begin operating low. It had much less uncovered wiring than the prototype and child blue panels masking some elements of its physique.
1/5Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
Boston Dynamics began as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how in 1992. The corporate used funding from DARPA to create robots like BigDog, however is finest recognized for the viral fame its robots have discovered on-line. Its two most important stars have been Atlas, a humanoid bipedal robotic that can run and do backflips, and Spot, a smaller quadrupedal “canine” that’s been examined in a wide range of eventualities, from sheep herding to assisting health care workers during the pandemic.
The corporate began promoting Spot in June 2020 for $74,500, concentrating on companies on the lookout for an automatic method to patrol and examine warehouses. Regardless of the viral fame, Boston Dynamics has consistently lost millions of dollars annually for numerous years.
Hyundai acquired Boston Dynamics in 2021 in a deal that valued the corporate at $1.1 billion. The automaker has lengthy predicted that robots will change into an more and more noticeable presence at its factories over time. And with immediately’s demonstration, Hyundai is hoping to show that its robotic is extra superior and extra able to performing bodily duties than rivals like Tesla’s Optimus robot. Tesla has ridden a wave of AI hype in recent times to a market capitalization of over $1 trillion, over 15 occasions Hyundai’s worth, regardless of promoting vastly fewer vehicles.
By 2030, Hyundai says that Atlas will stage as much as duties involving “repetitive motions, heavy hundreds, and different advanced operations.”
The shift for Atlas from analysis platform to industrial robotic is definitely a big milestone for Boston Dynamics and its mum or dad firm. It’s additionally prone to be an especially expensive endeavor for Hyundai to place Atlas into quantity manufacturing. The businesses haven’t mentioned how a lot Atlas prices to fabricate, however Boston Dynamics does promote its Spot robots for around $75,000 a unit. Atlas is estimated to be lots of of hundreds of {dollars} costlier.
Hyundai claims its provide chain, entry to superior manufacturing amenities, and former work on AI-based software program and software-defined autos give it a novel benefit that can allow it to scale up its robotic manufacturing whereas additionally maintaining prices low.
1/2Picture: Hyundai
These prices are prone to rise as Atlas turns into extra dextrous and autonomous. Hyundai mentioned that the most recent, all-electric model of the robotic has 56 levels of freedom (DoF), up from the 50 DoF that was reported in April 2025. The robotic has totally rotational joints and “human-scale fingers with tactile sensing” and is engineered to deal with duties autonomously. It may be taught “most duties” in a day, can change its personal batteries robotically for all-day steady use, and might raise as much as 110 kilos (50kg). It’s additionally water-proof and might function in temperatures as little as -4 and as excessive as 104 levels Fahrenheit (20 to 40 levels Celsius).
For years, Boston Dynamics has impressed with demonstrations of its dexterous biped bots performing cartwheels, breakdances, and barrel rolls. Nonetheless, the information that Hyundai is on the cusp of placing Atlas to work at its factories could change the general public’s notion of the seemingly pleasant robotic, particularly if it emerges as a possible Terminator of jobs. Amazon, for instance, is hoping its robots can change greater than 600,000 jobs within the US by 2033, in keeping with recently leaked strategy documents. Hyundai has mentioned that by 2028, its $21 billion funding within the US will create 14,000 jobs straight, and greater than 100,000 if oblique jobs are included.
Hyundai can also be asserting a partnership with Google’s DeepMind AI analysis lab to mix Boston Dynamics’ robotic experience with Google’s AI basis fashions. The automaker can also be sourcing AI chips and software program from Nvidia.
After all, shifting from spectacular demos to a working product that may justify its huge prices can be an equally huge problem for Hyundai and Boston Dynamics. There may be a number of hype round humanoid robots, and never a number of proof that they’re well worth the complexity and energy to construct them — but.
With further reporting by Stevie Bonifield
