CES 2026: Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot goes into mass production

After years of testing and public demonstrations, Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot is finally moving into the mass production phase. The company said the final version of the robot for corporate customers is already being assembled, and the first to receive it will be Hyundai — Boston Dynamics’ majority shareholder — and Google DeepMind, the company’s new artificial intelligence partner.

Boston Dynamics says the final industrial version of Atlas is capable of performing a wide range of tasks in industrial environments and was initially designed with a focus on stability and reliability. The robot can operate autonomously, under the control of an operator or via a tablet. Atlas is highly rugged and robust: it has a reach of 2.3 meters, a maximum payload — about 50 kg, and an operating temperature range of -20 to +40 degrees Celsius. Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Plater called Atlas the best robot the company has ever built, noting that it has the potential to revolutionize the industry and bring closer the long-term dream the team has been working toward since childhood.

Boston Dynamics has been showcasing its developments in humanoid robots since at least 2011, when Atlas was first unveiled as part of a DARPA project. Since then, the robot has gone through many iterations and major changes, including going from a hydraulic design to an all-electric design in 2024. Later that year, the company showed off Atlas’ ability to manipulate automobile parts — it’s these kinds of tasks that are expected to be the first for the robot in real-world environments.

Hyundai plans to begin using Atlas at its automotive plants in 2028, primarily for component sorting and preparation operations. By 2030, the company expects to expand the robot’s tasks to include assembly of subassemblies, handling heavy loads, repetitive operations, and other complex manufacturing processes. Google DeepMind, in turn, will get Atlas robots to integrate its Gemini Robotics AI baseline models into Boston Dynamics’ system.