Boston Dynamics, Google reunite on next-gen Atlas humanoid

You can sell Boston Dynamics, but you can’t fully quit it. Nearly a decade after Google sold the robotics company to SoftBank, the two are working together again, announcing at CES 2026 that DeepMind will help make Atlas smarter with its Gemini Robotics foundation models.

The event also featured Boston Dynamics’ first-ever public demo of Atlas, the debut of a productized version of the humanoid, plans for a robot training center, and a roadmap to deploy Atlas in Hyundai factories worldwide.

First public demo of Atlas

The teleoperated Atlas demo was low-key but served as a fitting CES opener, giving a glimpse into the robot’s future. The version demoed was the electric prototype introduced in early 2024.

“For the first time ever in public, please welcome Atlas to the stage,” said Zack Jackowski, GM of Atlas at Boston Dynamics.

It stood, walked, waved, spun, bent, and waved again before exiting. Later, a sleek, blue, product-ready version was revealed behind a curtain. You can watch the demo atop the page. Boston Dynamics is running additional demos, both autonomous and teleoperated, at its CES booth throughout the week.

Marc Raibert, Boston Dynamics founder and executive director of the Robotics and AI Institute, attended the event. His presence, unusual for CES, highlighted the importance of the announcement, which was attended by executives from Hyundai Motor Group, Boston Dynamics’ parent company since its $880 million acquisition in December 2020.

Partnering with Google DeepMind on AI

While the demo stole the show, the partnership with Google DeepMind is more important. For humanoids to fulfill their promise as multi-purpose solutions, they must move beyond pre-programmed routines. Advances in AI and robot learning could give Atlas the intelligence to adapt to a variety of tasks and environments.

Boston Dynamics has increasingly relied on teleoperation, imitation learning, and simulation to train Atlas rather than hand-coded programming. Carolina Parada, head of robotics at Google DeepMind, said the industry is just scratching the surface of what’s possible with AI.

“Tasks that require certain sensors the robot doesn’t have are still limited,” she said. “But the robot can learn almost anything you can consistently demonstrate through teleoperation.”

Aaron Saunders stepped down as CTO of Boston Dynamics in November 2025. He spent nearly two decades at the company. In November 2025, he announced he was joining Google DeepMind as VP of robotics hardware engineering. 

Boston Dynamics recently completed an Atlas proof of concept for Hyundai on parts sequencing. At CES, Hyundai outlined potential applications beyond automotive, including construction, energy, and facilities management. Collecting real-world data is expensive, Parada said, so DeepMind is exploring methods that allow Atlas to learn without needing to see every object in advance.

To support this, Boston Dynamics and Hyundai announced the Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC), opening in 2026. Data collected from Hyundai factories will feed the RMAC, creating a controlled environment for Atlas to train on complex tasks.

“No company has more real-world data than Hyundai Motor Group,” said Wong Jae Lee.

Boston Dynamics also collaborates on AI with Toyota Research Institute and the Robotics and AI Institute, the latter funded by Hyundai. At press time, it was unclear how the DeepMind partnership will affect these relationships, but changes may be coming.

“The work left to automate is difficult because the tasks vary so much,” Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter said. “That’s where AI comes in.”

Scaling the new Atlas

The new productized Atlas introduced at CES is 6.2 feet tall, has a 7.5-foot reach, fully rotational joints, and can lift up to 110 pounds. It features 56 degrees of freedom, an IP67 rating, a new four-fingered hand, and a standard battery life of four hours, with the ability to swap batteries autonomously. Atlas can be operated autonomously, teleoperated via VR headset, or controlled with a tablet.

Boston Dynamics said it focused on simplifying the design of the new version.

“We limited the number of motors used throughout the robot to eliminate complexity. Moreover, all of Atlas’ limbs can be replaced in the field in under five minutes, for ease of service and repair. From head to toe, every piece of Atlas’ hardware was built to reduce failure points and enable easy upgrades. There will also be training and certification paths to empower your onsite maintenance teams to maintain your fleet.”

This generation of Atlas significantly reduces the amount of unique parts in the robot, and every component has been designed for compatibility with automotive supply chains. With Hyundai Motor Group’s backing, we will achieve the best reliability and economies of scale in the industry.”

All units for 2026 are already committed, shipping to the RMAC and Google DeepMind, with additional customers planned for 2027. Hyundai aims to manufacture up to 30,000 humanoids annually by 2028. It said Atlas will be performing high-precision sequencing at scale in 2028 and complex assembly tasks slated for 2030.

“Our new Atlas is the most production friendly robot we’ve ever designed,” said Jackowski. “This generation of Atlas significantly reduces the amount of unique parts in the robot, and every component has been designed for compatibility with automotive supply chains. With Hyundai Motor Group’s backing, we will achieve the best reliability and economies of scale in the industry.”

“This is the best robot we have ever built,” said Playter.

Humanoid hype

Playter noted the rapid proliferation of humanoids in the last 3–5 years, but said the industry’s success will depend on commercial maturity.

“We have a team for integration, service, and repair. Most other companies are doing demos or selling robots as platforms, hoping someone else solves the applications. That’s not how we do it,” he said.

Boston Dynamics said it deployed over 500 robots in 2025, generating around $130 million in revenue across Spot quadrupeds and the Stretch trailer loading system. Playter said the company’s experience scaling quadrupeds provides lessons for humanoids.

“Some companies are saying they want to [deploy humanoids in the home first]. We think that’s the wrong strategy for multiple reasons,” said Playter, citing high costs, low capabilities, and a lack of safety standards. “I can’t wait to have a robot help lift me out of bed 20 years from now. We do want to go into homes, just not now.”

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