Watch: Boston Dynamics’ Newest Robot Is More Capable and Creepier Than Ever Before

Bryan Hood
·2 min read

Boston Dynamic’s Atlas is back and better than ever.

Just one day after the firm retired its humanoid robot, it unveiled its all-electric successor on Wednesday. The latest version of the droid has a greater range of motion making it more capable (and potentially scarier) than ever before.

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If you’ve followed developments in the robotics world over the past decade, you’re likely familiar with Boston Dynamics’s name. The company, founded in Waltham, Mass., in the early 1990s, has produced some of the most advanced droids we’ve seen, including the canine-inspired Spot. But its most impressive creation, without a doubt, has been Atlas, a hydraulic-powered robot initially designed for search and rescue tasks that can lift objects, dance, and even navigate a parkour course.

The new Atlas, which was designed in conjunction with Boston Dynamics’s parent company Hyundai, maintains its predecessor’s humanoid form, but that’s about it. The machine is stronger than before, has an illuminated head and more swiveling joints, as well as a new all-electric power source. A video accompanying the robot’s unveiling shows Atlas picking itself up from the floor and walking toward the camera while parts of its body spin and whir around like something out of a horror film.

“We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile,” the company said in a statement. “Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are equipping the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion. Atlas will move in ways that exceed human capabilities.”

The robot shown in the video is far from the finished article. Boston Dynamics says it is building on the lessons learned from last generation’s Atlas and already has plans for new gripper variations and software upgrades that promise to make the machine even more useful and versatile in a greater variety of environments. A small group of “innovative” customers, including Hyundai, will test out the robot over the next few years to further explore what kind of commercial potential it has.

There’s clearly more work to be done, but based on the first look, it looks like the new Atlas already has a leg up on the competition, including Tesla’s Optimus.

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