Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics isn't just a company; it's a pioneer at the forefront of bringing robots to life with astonishing agility and intelligence. Their creations move with a grace and capability once confined to science fiction, pushing the boundaries of what machines can do. From nimble quadrupeds to dynamic humanoids, this is the story of how they've redefined robotics—and what their future might hold. Boston Dynamics emerged from MIT's Leg Laboratory, pioneering highly dynamic and agile robot designs inspired by animal movement. The company has undergone significant ownership changes, moving from Google to SoftBank and ultimately to the Hyundai Motor Group. Their robots have evolved from military research prototypes into versatile commercial platforms used in diverse industries worldwide.
AI Summary
Boston Dynamics isn't just a company; it's a pioneer at the forefront of bringing robots to life with astonishing agility and intelligence. Their creations move with a grace and capability once confined to science fiction, pushing the boundaries of what machines can do. From nimble quadrupeds to dynamic humanoids, this is the story of how they've redefined robotics—and what their future might hold.
- Boston Dynamics emerged from MIT's Leg Laboratory, pioneering highly dynamic and agile robot designs inspired by animal movement.
- The company has undergone significant ownership changes, moving from Google to SoftBank and ultimately to the Hyundai Motor Group.
- Their robots have evolved from military research prototypes into versatile commercial platforms used in diverse industries worldwide.
The Genesis of Agile Robotics
Our story begins in 1992, with Marc Raibert, a visionary from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He spun off Boston Dynamics from his renowned Leg Laboratory, a research hub that had already laid the scientific groundwork for robots that could move with remarkable agility and balance.
Raibert's team was deeply inspired by the natural world — by how animals navigate complex environments with such dexterity and intelligence. This profound observation became the guiding principle for every robot Boston Dynamics would create, shaping their unique approach to dynamic locomotion. Co-founders Nancy Cornelius and Robert Playter were instrumental in building the company from its earliest days.
Early Innovations: Beyond the Screen
Initially, Boston Dynamics worked on interactive 3D simulations for naval training, using their DI-Guy software for realistic human characters. But the true ambition was always physical robots — machines that could step out of the digital realm and into the real world. This ambition soon bore fruit with critical funding from DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
BigDog: The Robotic Pack Mule
In 2005, the world got its first glimpse of BigDog, a quadrupedal robot designed with military applications in mind. Envisioned as a robotic pack mule, it could traverse treacherous terrain, climbing inclines up to 35 degrees and carrying an impressive 340 pounds alongside soldiers.
BigDog's four legs offered unparalleled mobility compared to wheels, making it a truly ambitious creation for navigating rough landscapes. However, despite its impressive capabilities, the project was ultimately shelved by the U.S. military because one critical feature proved to be a dealbreaker: it was just too loud for combat zones.
Pushing the Limits of Legged Movement
BigDog was just the beginning. Boston Dynamics continued to innovate, developing the Cheetah robot, which set a land speed record for legged robots, galloping at an incredible 28 miles per hour. They also created LittleDog, a smaller quadruped designed as a research testbed for other institutions to explore advanced locomotion algorithms.
Another significant early creation was PETMAN, the Protection Ensemble Test Mannequin. This bipedal robot was uniquely designed for testing chemical protection suits, demonstrating an unprecedented level of dynamic human-like movement, a crucial step towards truly anthropomorphic robots.
The Legged Squad Support System, or LS3 (also known as AlphaDog), was a militarized evolution of BigDog, built to withstand harsh environmental conditions. The goal was to combine the utility of a pack mule with the intelligence of a trained animal — a vision that proved challenging due to its sensitivity to oral commands, making casual conversation near it nearly impossible for soldiers.
A Journey of Ownership and Evolution
The company's groundbreaking work didn't go unnoticed. In December 2013, Boston Dynamics was acquired by Google X, the tech giant's secretive research and development arm. This move signaled a significant validation of their innovative approach to robotics, placing them within one of the world's most influential tech ecosystems.
However, this chapter with Google was relatively short-lived. In June 2017, ownership transferred again, this time to Japan's SoftBank Group, a global technology conglomerate known for its bold investments. This marked another pivotal moment, as SoftBank aimed to accelerate the development and commercialization of Boston Dynamics' robots.
Then, in a major strategic move in December 2020, the Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% stake in Boston Dynamics for approximately $880 million, with the acquisition finalizing in June 2021. This partnership signaled Hyundai's deep commitment to future mobility and automation, blending robotics into their broader vision for smart factories and autonomous systems.
In October 2022, Boston Dynamics made headlines again by taking a firm ethical stance, signing a public pledge not to support the weaponization of their robots. They invited other robotics companies to join, emphasizing a shared commitment to developing advanced robotics responsibly and safely for the benefit of humanity.
Atlas: The Humanoid of Tomorrow
Building on the insights from PETMAN, Boston Dynamics introduced Atlas, a 5-foot bipedal humanoid robot. Designed for search and rescue, Atlas quickly became a symbol of advanced robotics, demonstrating incredible balance and coordination even in demanding environments.
Later videos showcased Atlas's truly astonishing evolution. It performed feats like running up stairs and navigating complex parkour courses with ease, movements that were once considered impossible for robots. In April 2024, the company announced a significant upgrade, retiring the hydraulic Atlas in favor of an entirely new, all-electric version, promising even greater agility and efficiency.
Spot: The Commercial Breakthrough
Perhaps the most recognizable of Boston Dynamics' creations is Spot, the four-legged, canine-inspired robot, first unveiled in June 2016. Weighing a more manageable 55 pounds, Spot quickly captured public imagination, especially after viral videos showed it opening doors and exploring environments with uncanny persistence.
While some viewers found Spot's tenacity a bit "creepy," its capabilities were undeniable. After a period of pre-production and initial leases to selected partners, Boston Dynamics made Spot commercially available in June 2020 for US$74,500, marking a significant step towards putting advanced robotics into the hands of industries worldwide.
Spot's Diverse Applications
Spot quickly found a myriad of practical and sometimes unexpected uses. SpaceX deployed a 'lone Spot' named Zeus to inspect dangerous sites at their Starship Test Site, containing sub-cooled liquid nitrogen and monitoring critical areas with remarkable precision. Its ability to navigate hazardous environments safely proved invaluable.
Beyond industrial tasks, Spot has even graced the entertainment stage, performing as a cheerleader alongside SoftBank Pepper Robots at a Japanese baseball game. It has also taken on inspection duties on offshore oil and gas platforms, performing tasks too risky or difficult for humans, showcasing its adaptability across challenging environments.
The creative potential of Spot has also been explored, with a YouTube video demonstrating a Spot robot dispensing beer into cups, highlighting its programmable versatility. In a more artistic endeavor, a Spot robot even created a painting, sold for $40,000 to benefit Ukrainian refugees, illustrating the robot's capacity for creative expression.
Its utility extends to infrastructure inspection, with the UK's National Highways trialing Spot on the M5 motorway as an alternative to human inspectors. These diverse applications underscore Spot's remarkable flexibility and its burgeoning role in a wide array of fields, from industry to art.
Expanding the Robotic Family
Boston Dynamics continued to diversify its product line with Handle, a research robot boasting two flexible legs equipped with wheels and two 'hands' for manipulation. This unique design allows Handle to travel at 9 miles per hour and jump an impressive 4 feet vertically, demonstrating efficiency through its relatively simpler design of only 10 actuated joints.
For warehouse automation, the company introduced Stretch, a robot designed to rapidly move boxes. With a mobile base, a 'perception mast' for navigation, and a powerful robotic arm featuring a suction pad array, Stretch can lift and move packages weighing up to 50 pounds, significantly streamlining logistics operations.
Complementing Stretch is Pick, a stationary robot with similar box-handling capabilities, optimized for fixed positions within a warehouse. And showcasing their partnership with Hyundai, the Factory Safety Service Robot — based on Spot — was unveiled. This robot, equipped with a thermal camera and 3D LiDAR, monitors for hazards and ensures worker safety in industrial settings, marking a new era of collaborative robotics.
Article
Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics, Inc. is an American engineering and robotics design company founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics has been owned by the Hyundai Motor Group since December 2020, which completed the acquisition in June 2021.
Boston Dynamics develops a series of dynamic, highly mobile robots, including BigDog, Spot, Atlas, and Handle. In 2019, Spot became its first commercially available robot after years of exclusively being a defense contractor. The company has stated its intent to commercialize its other military robots, including Handle.
History
Boston Dynamics
The company was founded by Marc Raibert, who spun the company off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. The company was an outgrowth of the Leg Laboratory, Raibert's research lab at MIT and Carnegie Mellon University. The Leg Laboratory assisted with establishing the scientific basis for highly dynamic robots. These robots were inspired by the remarkable ability of animals to move with agility, dexterity, perception, and intelligence, and the work there set the stage for the robots developed at Boston Dynamics. Nancy Cornelius was a co-founder of Boston Dynamics, having joined the company as its first employee. While employed at the company, she served as a Boston Dynamics officer, conducted engineering on many contracts, was CFO for 10 years, and later was VP in charge of engineering on several contracts. She retired after 21 years of service in 2013, when the company was acquired by Google. Robert Playter was also a co-founder of the company, joining a few months later, as soon as he completed his PhD thesis at MIT, working with Raibert in the Leg Laboratory. Playter was COO at the company for many years and has been CEO since 2019.
Early in the company's history, it worked with the American Systems Corporation under a contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) to replace naval training videos for aircraft launch operations with interactive 3D computer simulations featuring characters made with DI-Guy, software for realistic human simulation. Eventually, the company began manufacturing physical robots—for example, BigDog was a quadruped robot designed for the U.S. military with funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
On December 13, 2013, the company was acquired by Google X (later X, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) for an unknown price, where it was managed by Andy Rubin until he departed from Google in 2014. Immediately before the acquisition, Boston Dynamics transferred their DI-Guy software product line to VT MÄK, a simulation software vendor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On June 8, 2017, Alphabet Inc. announced the sale of the company to Japan's SoftBank Group for an undisclosed sum. On April 2, 2019, Boston Dynamics acquired the Silicon Valley startup Kinema Systems.
In November 2020, the firm signed an agreement with Trimble Inc. to further develop the Spot dog product.
In December 2020, Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% stake in the company from SoftBank for approximately $880 million. SoftBank Group retains about 20% through an affiliate. In June 2021, it was announced that Hyundai officially took a controlling stake in the company from SoftBank.
In October 2022, the company signed a pledge saying it would not support any weaponization of its robotic creations. Boston Dynamics offered other robotics companies to join the pledge, with five other firms signing as well.
In February 2026, Robert Playter stepped down as CEO, announcing his retirement after being with the company since 1994. Amanda McMaster, the CFO of Boston Dynamics was announced as Interim CEO.
Products
BigDog
BigDog was a quadrupedal robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics, in conjunction with Foster-Miller, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station. It was funded by DARPA in the hopes that it would be able to serve as a robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers in terrain too rough for vehicles, but the project was shelved after BigDog was deemed too loud to be used in combat. Instead of wheels, BigDog used four legs for movement, allowing it to move across surfaces that would defeat wheels. Called "the world's most ambitious legged robot", it was designed to carry 340 pounds (150 kg) alongside a soldier at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h; 1.8 m/s), traversing rough terrain at inclines up to 35 degrees.
Cheetah
The Cheetah is a four-footed robot that gallops at 28 miles per hour (45 km/h; 13 m/s), which as of August 2012 is a land speed record for legged robots.
A similar but independently developed robot, also known as Cheetah, has been manufactured by MIT's Biomimetic Robotics Lab, which, by 2014, could jump over obstacles while running. By 2018, the robot was able to climb stairs.
LittleDog
Released around 2010, LittleDog is a small quadruped robot developed for DARPA by Boston Dynamics for research. Unlike BigDog, which is run by Boston Dynamics, LittleDog is intended as a testbed for other institutions. Boston Dynamics maintains the robots for DARPA as a standard platform.
LittleDog has four legs, each powered by three electric motors. The legs have a large range of motion. The robot is strong enough for climbing and dynamic locomotion gaits. The onboard PC-level computer does sensing, actuator control, and communications. LittleDog's sensors measure joint angles, motor currents, body orientation, and foot/ground contact. Control programs access the robot through the Boston Dynamics Robot API. Onboard lithium polymer batteries allow for 30 minutes of continuous operation without recharging. Wireless communications and data logging support remote operation and data analysis. LittleDog development is funded by the DARPA Information Processing Technology Office.
PETMAN
PETMAN (Protection Ensemble Test Mannequin) is a bipedal device constructed for testing chemical protection suits. It is the first anthropomorphic robot that moves dynamically like a person.
LS3
LS3 2012 prototype
Legged Squad Support System (LS3), also known as AlphaDog, is a militarized version of BigDog. It is ruggedized for military use, capable of operating in hot, cold, wet, and dirty environments.
According to Lt. Col. Joe Hitt and the US Marine Corps's program manager, "The vision for LS3 is to combine the capabilities of a pack mule with the intelligence of a trained animal." LS3 is capable of reacting to visual or oral commands and utilizes an on-board GPS system, along with computer vision (LIDAR and IR), to guide itself through terrain. Due to its ability to track oral commands, soldiers within the field found it difficult to hold a conversation with this bot in a vicinity because it would unknowingly follow commands not given to itself. Unlike its living counterparts, LS3 can march for 20 miles (32 km) before running out of fuel. The robot is also more resistant to injury and disability and does not suffer from the shortcomings of bleeding and falling over, the historical weaknessess of mules and other military animals.
Atlas
The Agile Anthropomorphic Robot "Atlas" is a 5-foot (152.4 cm) bipedal humanoid robot, based on Boston Dynamics' earlier PETMAN humanoid robot, and designed for a variety of search and rescue tasks.
In February 2016, Boston Dynamics published a YouTube video entitled "Atlas, The Next Generation" showing a new humanoid robot about 5 feet tall (152.4 cm). In the video, the robot is shown performing several tasks that would have been difficult or impossible for the previous generation of humanoid robots.
A video posted to the Boston Dynamics channel of YouTube, dated October 11, 2018, titled "Parkour Atlas", shows the robot easily running up 2-foot high steps onto a platform. Atlas is shown in a September 2019 YouTube video doing "More Parkour".
In April 2024, the company announced that they had retired the hydraulic-based Atlas in favor of a new all-electric version of Atlas.
Spot
In a 2018 viral promotional video, a rear part of Spot's casing falls off as it compensates to overcome interference.
Spot being tested alongside British Royal Air Force service members
On June 23, 2016, Boston Dynamics revealed the four-legged canine-inspired Spot, weighing 25 kg (55 pounds), which was lighter than their other products. Spot was designed travel over terrain or environments that were previously difficult for other robots.
In November 2017, a promotional video of Spot using its forward claw to open a door for another robot reached #1 on YouTube, with over 2 million views. A later video, released the same month, showed Spot persisting in attempting to open the door in the face of human interference. Viewers perceived the robot as "creepy" and "reminiscent of all kinds of sci-fi robots that wouldn't give up in their missions to seek and destroy."
On 11 May 2018, Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert announced at TechCrunch Robotics Session 2018 that Spot was in pre-production and preparing for commercial availability in 2019. The company said it had plans with contract manufacturers to build the first 100 Spots later that year for commercial purposes, with them starting to scale production with the goal of selling Spot in 2019. However, in September 2019, journalists were informed that the robots will not be sold, but they will be leased to selected business partners. In November 2019 Massachusetts State Police became the first law enforcement agency to use Spot as a robot cop, as well as in the unit's bomb squad.
Since January 2020, Spot's software development kit has been available via GitHub. It allows programmers to develop custom applications for Spot to do various actions that could be used across different industries. On 16 June 2020, Boston Dynamics made Spot available for the general public for US$74,500 (equivalent to $92,682 in 2025).
In June 2020, a lone Spot named 'Zeus' was used by SpaceX at their Boca Chica Starship Test Site to help contain sub-cooled liquid nitrogen and to inspect 'potentially dangerous' sites at and around the launchpad.
In July 2020, a team of Spot robots performed as cheerleaders in the stands at a baseball match between the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Rakuten Eagles, backed by a team of SoftBank Pepper Robots.
In November 2020, a Spot robot performed inspection tasks on the Skarv floating production storage and offloading vessel.
In February 2021, arts collective MSCHF purchased a Spot robot and placed it in an art gallery with a paintball gun attached to its back in a drop titled "Spot's Rampage". The robot could be controlled by visitors to the website to destroy the art around it. The robot was shut down through an undisclosed backdoor by Boston Dynamics.
In April 2021, Michael Reeves made a YouTube video where he attached a pressurized beer canister and nozzle to a Spot robot in order to detect red plastic cups and dispense beer into them.
In March 2022, artist Agnieszka Pilat sold a painting created by Spot for $40,000 at the home of Brian Boitano to benefit Ukrainian refugees. The painting, titled "Sunrise March," was created by applying paint on Spot's feet and having the robot rotate in circles.
In February 2024, drivers on the M5 motorway in England were warned they should not be alarmed if they saw a Spot operating alongside the road. The National Highways administration had trialed one "as an alternative to human inspectors".
Handle
Handle is a research robot with two flexible legs on wheels and two "hands" for manipulating or carrying objects. It can stand 6.5 feet (2 m) tall, travel at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h), and jump 4 feet (1.2 m) vertically. It utilizes electric power to operate various electric and hydraulic actuators, with a range of approximately 15 miles (25 km) on one battery charge. Handle uses many of the same dynamics, balance, and mobile manipulation principles found in the other robots by Boston Dynamics; however, with only about 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex.
Stretch
On March 29, 2021, Boston Dynamics announced via a video on their YouTube channel the Stretch robot that was designed for warehouse automation. It has a square mobile base containing a set of wheels, a “perception mast” with cameras and other sensors, and a robotic arm with seven degrees of freedom and a suction pad array on the end that can grab and move boxes up to 23 kilograms (50 lbs) in weight.
Pick
Pick is a robot just like Stretch, but fixed in a particular place. It is designed to carry boxes. It can identify a box in less than a second. It automatically disposes of the sheet of cardboard in between stacks of boxes.
Factory Safety Service Robot
The Factory Safety Service Robot was unveiled on September 17, 2021. It was the first joint venture with Hyundai Motor Group. The robot is based on the existing Boston Dynamics robot Spot. Its integrated thermal camera and 3D LiDAR system help detect nearby people, monitor fire hazards, and recognize open and closed doors.
In popular culture
Boston Dynamics
• "Metalhead", a 2017 episode of Black Mirror, features killer-robot dogs resembling, and inspired by, Boston Dynamics robot dogs. • In June 2019, a parody video went viral across social media in which a robot resembling Atlas was abused, before turning on its human attackers. The video turned out to be the work of Corridor Digital, who used the watermark "Bosstown Dynamics" instead of "Boston Dynamics". This video tricked many people, causing them to believe it was real. • In Heroes of the Storm (2015), a multiplayer video game by Blizzard Entertainment, playable heroes are able to move quickly through the battleground by using a mount called "Project: D.E.R.P.A.", which references one of Boston Dynamics' quadrupedal robots. • The HBO Show Silicon Valley has made two prominent references to the company – an episode featured a robotics company called Somerville Dynamics, named after Somerville, a city that neighbors Boston; and the season premiere of Season 3 featured a real Boston Dynamics Spot robot, seen crossing a street. • In 2022 the Spot robot was featured as a background extra in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett TV series. • In May 2025, Boston Dynamics auditioned on Season 20 of America's Got Talent, performing a dance routine with robotic "dogs".