Boston Dynamics Inc., the robotics startup famed for its advanced humanoid and dog-like robots that went viral in years gone by for their acrobatic movements and dances, today announced it’s retiring its hydraulic Atlas robot and replacing it with a fully electric version instead.

The company said the new, electric version of Atlas represents a significant leap forward in the humanoid robot world, with a level of performance that far exceeds its hydraulic predecessor. It’s said to boast superior strength and a much broader range of motion, enabling it to handle a variety of more complex tasks in a range of industries.

For example, it features a new gripper technology that will allow it to manipulate heavier and more irregularly shaped objects than before, in line with the company’s commitment to enhancing the versatility of robotics design.

The announcement may seem unusual, as the difference between hydraulic and electronics motors is quite significant. Hydraulic robots use a series of pistons and fluid to manipulate the limbs on a robot, while electric versions use electrical energy to move and rotate the parts of the robot directly. As such, the switch from hydraulics to electric has big implications in terms of production costs, design and performance.

Electric motors are generally less expensive, less complex, quieter and lighter than hydraulic versions, but they may wear out more quickly, and are generally not as strong as the latter.

Automotive applications

The decision to switch to electronics therefore represents a pivotal shift for the company, and it says the first application for the new Atlas robot will be in the automotive manufacturing industry, where it is being deployed in factories owned by Hyundai Motor Co., which owns Boston Dynamics.

The company said in a blog post that Hyundai is the perfect environment for the new Atlas to showcase its capabilities. It noted that Hyundai is “building the next generation of automotive manufacturing capabilities,” which makes it “the perfect testing ground for new Atlas applications.” The company posted a video on YouTube showing the sprightly new Atlas standing upright from a position lying prone on the ground, before strutting around confidently.

Long history

Boston Dynamics is one of the oldest players in the robotics industry, with a 32-year history. It began life back in 1994 as a promising robotics research startup founded by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology electrical engineering and computer science professor Marc Raibert and his Ph.D. student Robert Playter, who would become its first chief executive.

Although it created some promising concepts, it struggled to create anything that might be commercially viable, and was ultimately acquired by Google LLC in 2013. Google then sold it on to SoftBank Group Corp. in 2017, before Hyundai stepped in to take over the company in 2021, reportedly paying $1 billion for the privilege.

Boston Dynamics’ first real hit came shortly after it was acquired by Google, when it debuted the original Atlas robot, with videos of its extraordinary feats quickly going viral on social media. That robot was never commercialized, unlike the dog-style Spot robot, which went on sale in 2020 and has been adopted by police forces, militaries and rescue organizations.

Growing competition

With its long history, the company is widely considered to be a pioneer in a robotics industry that is finally inching closer to more widespread commercialization. These days, Boston Dynamics faces a number of competitors, including Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc., which has created a general-purpose robotic humanoid called Optimus, plus well-funded startups such as Figure AI Inc. and Agility Robotics Inc., which have both developed humanoid robots of their own.

Non-humanoid designs are also getting a lot of hype these days, with the secretive startup Collaborative Robots Inc. last week raising $100 million for its warehouse robots.

Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said the advances being made in robotics are extremely exciting, yet they have almost been forgotten amid all of the hoopla around generative AI. “Robots are becoming very real and Boston Dynamics is doing its part in that by advancing its Atlas robot,” he said. “The company thinks it can aid it automotive manufacturing and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact it has, and if it can prove itself in that scenario, in the next few months.”

While its rivals have all targeted commercial applications for their robots, Boston Dynamics offers a bit more, with the recent launch of its Orbit software for managing entire fleets of robots. The software has initially been made available for Spot, but the company plans to expand it to Atlas and also Stretch, which is a highly mobile robotic arm designed to pick up and move boxes and other heavy objects.

The company shares the same vision with its rivals of a future where both humanoid and other types of robots will eventually become just as commonplace as the computers and machinery that power many industries today.

Image: Boston Dynamics