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Boston Dynamics is an American engineering and robotics company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, known for developing some of the most advanced legged and mobile robots in the world. Founded in 1992 by Marc Raibert as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the company has built a reputation for pushing the boundaries of robot mobility, dexterity, and intelligence. Its robots, including Spot, Atlas, and Stretch, have become some of the most recognized machines in robotics, frequently appearing in viral videos that demonstrate feats of balance, agility, and dynamic movement.
The company has changed hands multiple times over its history. Google (through its X division) acquired it in 2013, SoftBank purchased it in 2017, and Hyundai Motor Group completed the acquisition of an 80% controlling stake in 2021, valuing the company at approximately $1.1 billion. As of 2026, Boston Dynamics employs roughly 1,400 people and operates commercially with Spot and Stretch while developing the next-generation electric Atlas humanoid for industrial deployment.
Boston Dynamics traces its roots to the Leg Laboratory (Leg Lab), a research group that Marc Raibert founded at Carnegie Mellon University in 1980 and later moved to MIT. The Leg Lab pioneered work on dynamically balanced legged locomotion, developing the first self-balancing hopping robots. These machines demonstrated that robots could maintain balance through active control rather than static stability, a concept that became foundational to all of Boston Dynamics' later work.
Raibert, who held positions as an associate professor of Computer Science and Robotics at Carnegie Mellon and later as a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, spun the company off from MIT in 1992. By 1995, Boston Dynamics had fully separated from the university and began operating independently. In its early years, the company focused on simulation software and consulting, developing tools for realistic 3D simulations of human and animal movement. This simulation expertise gave the team deep insight into the biomechanics that would later inform their physical robot designs.
Boston Dynamics gained widespread attention in the mid-2000s through contracts with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). These contracts funded the development of some of the company's most iconic early robots, beginning with BigDog in 2005. The company's DARPA-funded projects established it as a leader in legged robotics and dynamic locomotion, attracting significant media attention and public interest in the process.
During this period, Boston Dynamics also developed PETMAN (Protection Ensemble Test Mannequin), a bipedal robot funded by a $26.3 million U.S. Army contract. PETMAN became the first anthropomorphic robot that moved dynamically like a human, walking on a treadmill and eventually running at speeds up to 7 kilometers per hour. The technology developed for PETMAN served as a direct precursor to the Atlas humanoid robot.
Other DARPA-funded projects included RiSE, a six-legged robot designed to climb vertical surfaces; LittleDog, a small quadruped platform used by external research teams for software testing; and RHex, a 30-pound, six-legged robot designed for rough-terrain mobility.
On December 13, 2013, Google X (later renamed X, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) acquired Boston Dynamics as part of a broader push into robotics led by Andy Rubin, the creator of Android. Google acquired several robotics companies during this period, but the Boston Dynamics purchase was the most high-profile. The acquisition signaled major corporate interest in advanced robotics, though Google never publicly deployed Boston Dynamics robots in its products or services.
During the Alphabet era, Boston Dynamics continued its research and development work. The company refined Atlas, developed new prototypes, and built the SpotMini (later renamed Spot), a smaller and quieter quadruped designed with commercial applications in mind. However, reports emerged that Alphabet grew uneasy with the timeline for commercializing Boston Dynamics' technology, and by 2016, the company was reportedly up for sale.
On June 8, 2017, Alphabet announced the sale of Boston Dynamics to SoftBank Group, the Japanese telecommunications and investment conglomerate, for an undisclosed sum. Under SoftBank's ownership, Boston Dynamics accelerated its push toward commercialization. The company launched Spot as its first commercial product, began developing warehouse automation solutions, and grew its workforce significantly.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son had expressed a long-standing interest in robotics, and the acquisition aligned with SoftBank's broader vision for integrating robots into everyday life and industry. The SoftBank years marked a turning point for Boston Dynamics, shifting the company's identity from a pure research lab to a commercial robotics enterprise.
In December 2020, Hyundai Motor Group agreed to acquire an 80% controlling stake in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank for approximately $880 million, with the total deal valuing the company at $1.1 billion. SoftBank retained a 20% stake through a subsidiary. The acquisition was formally completed in June 2021.
Under Hyundai's ownership, Boston Dynamics has deepened its focus on manufacturing applications, particularly for automotive production. The partnership leverages Hyundai's manufacturing scale and Boston Dynamics' robotics expertise. In April 2025, the two companies announced an expanded collaboration, with Hyundai committing to purchase tens of thousands of robots in the coming years. Hyundai is building production capacity that could support up to 30,000 robot units per year by 2028.
Marc Raibert served as CEO of Boston Dynamics from its founding until 2019, when he transitioned to the role of Chairman. Robert Playter, who had been with the company since 1994, succeeded Raibert as CEO. Playter led the company through the Hyundai acquisition and the development of the electric Atlas before announcing his departure in February 2026, with his final day set for February 27, 2026. Amanda McMaster, the company's Chief Financial Officer, was named interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.
Raibert now serves as Executive Director of the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI Institute), a Hyundai-funded research lab that works closely with Boston Dynamics on advancing reinforcement learning and other AI techniques for robotics.
BigDog was the robot that put Boston Dynamics on the map. Developed in 2005 in collaboration with the Harvard University Concord Field Station and funded by DARPA, BigDog was a dynamically stable quadruped robot designed to serve as a robotic pack mule for soldiers in rough terrain.
BigDog stood 2.5 feet (0.76 m) tall, measured 3 feet (0.91 m) long, and weighed 240 pounds (110 kg). It was designed to carry loads of up to 340 pounds (150 kg) at speeds of up to 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) over rough terrain at inclines of up to 35 degrees. The robot was powered by a small two-stroke, single-cylinder, 15-brake-horsepower engine that drove a hydraulic pump, which in turn actuated its four hydraulic legs.
While BigDog demonstrated impressive terrain-handling capabilities, the project was ultimately shelved because the robot's gasoline engine was too loud for combat use. Nevertheless, BigDog proved that dynamically stable legged robots could navigate real-world terrain, and it laid the groundwork for all of Boston Dynamics' subsequent quadruped designs.
Developed under DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program, Cheetah was built for speed. In March 2012, the robot set a new land speed record for legged robots by galloping at 18 mph on a treadmill, breaking the previous record of 13.1 mph that had stood since 1989. In September 2012, Cheetah shattered its own record, reaching 28.3 mph over a 20-meter split, faster than the top speed of Usain Bolt (27.8 mph). The robot's movements were bio-inspired, patterned after fast-moving animals, and it flexed its back with each stride in the same manner as real quadrupeds.
The Legged Squad Support System (LS3), also known as AlphaDog, was a militarized successor to BigDog. DARPA awarded the initial LS3 contract to Boston Dynamics on December 3, 2009. The LS3 was designed to carry 400 pounds (180 kg) of squad equipment, follow soldiers using visual and voice commands, and navigate terrain using GPS, LIDAR, and infrared sensors. It was required to operate at noise levels below 70 decibels, significantly quieter than BigDog.
The LS3 completed its first outdoor exercise in February 2012 and underwent field testing with the U.S. Marine Corps. However, the program was put into storage in late 2015, having cost approximately $42 million in total development.
WildCat was an untethered version of the Cheetah concept, designed to run at high speeds on open terrain without being connected to a treadmill or external power source. It could run at up to 20 mph while maintaining balance and maneuverability, making it the fastest free-running quadruped robot at the time.
Atlas is Boston Dynamics' flagship humanoid robot and one of the most advanced bipedal robots ever built. Its development has gone through several distinct phases.
The original Atlas was unveiled in July 2013, building on the PETMAN platform. It was developed for DARPA's Robotics Challenge, a competition designed to advance disaster-response robotics. The hydraulic Atlas stood approximately 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall, weighed about 75 to 86 kg (165 to 190 lbs), and featured 28 hydraulic joints powered by an onboard battery and hydraulic pump. It was equipped with RGB cameras, depth sensors, and LIDAR for perception.
Over the following decade, Boston Dynamics used the hydraulic Atlas as a research platform for pushing the boundaries of dynamic bipedal locomotion. The robot became famous for its parkour demonstrations:
On April 16, 2024, Boston Dynamics officially retired the hydraulic Atlas, publishing a farewell video. The company stated: "For almost a decade, Atlas has sparked our imagination, inspired the next generations of roboticists, and leapt over technical barriers in the field."
The very next day, April 17, 2024, Boston Dynamics revealed the all-electric Atlas, a comprehensive redesign of the humanoid platform built from the ground up for commercial deployment. The electric Atlas replaces all hydraulic actuators with custom high-power electric actuators utilizing planetary roller screws and high-density neodymium magnets.
The electric Atlas weighs approximately 89 kg and stands about 1.5 meters tall, with fully rotational joints at the hips, waist, and neck that allow 360-degree rotation, enabling movements that exceed the human range of motion. The robot can sprint at speeds up to 2.5 m/s and achieves 85 to 90% electrical-to-mechanical efficiency. Its grippers are designed for diverse manipulation tasks in industrial settings.
At CES 2026, Boston Dynamics unveiled the production-ready version of Atlas, announcing that all 2026 units were already committed for deployment. Fleets are scheduled to ship to Hyundai's Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) and to Google DeepMind for joint research. The initial deployment at Hyundai's Metaplant America facility near Savannah, Georgia, will focus on relatively simple tasks such as transporting automotive parts to specific locations on the production line, with full-scale deployment expected by 2028.
Spot is Boston Dynamics' commercially available quadruped robot and the company's most successful product to date. Originally introduced as SpotMini in 2016, the robot was redesigned and rebranded as Spot for commercial launch. On June 16, 2020, Spot became available for general purchase at a base price of $74,500 for the Explorer Kit, which includes the robot, one battery, a charger, a controller, and basic software.
Spot weighs about 32 kg, can carry a payload of up to 14 kg, and features an agile, four-legged design that allows it to navigate stairs, rough terrain, and confined spaces that wheeled robots cannot access. The robot operates for approximately 90 minutes on a single battery charge and can be equipped with a range of sensors and accessories:
With add-ons, a fully equipped Spot can cost well over $100,000. Over 1,500 Spot robots have been deployed to customers in more than 35 countries.
Spot has found adoption across a wide range of industries:
Handle was a research robot that combined legs and wheels for efficient locomotion. Standing 6.5 feet tall, it could travel at up to 9 mph and jump 4 feet vertically. Handle was designed for logistics applications and could carry heavy loads while balancing on two wheels. Its design influenced the later development of Stretch.
Stretch is Boston Dynamics' first robot designed specifically for warehouse logistics. Unveiled in 2021 and made available for commercial purchase, Stretch is built to handle one of the most physically demanding tasks in warehouses: unloading boxes from trucks and shipping containers.
The robot features a compact, omnidirectional mobile base roughly the size of a pallet, a custom-designed lightweight arm with a vacuum gripper, and an advanced computer vision system that detects and identifies boxes in real time. Key specifications include:
Stretch's vision system can identify a wide variety of package types without extensive per-customer training, and a feature called Multipick allows the robot to move multiple boxes with a single arm swing, significantly increasing throughput. Customers include Arvato and the Otto Group, both of which have deployed Stretch in their distribution operations.
Pick is Boston Dynamics' machine learning vision solution for warehouse automation. Unlike Stretch, which is a mobile robot, Pick is a stationary system that uses 2D and 3D computer vision to identify and locate boxes in real-world warehouse environments. It can identify a box in less than a second and automatically handles the removal of cardboard layer sheets between stacks. Pick is designed to work alongside other robots and conveyor systems in automated fulfillment operations.
| Robot | Year Introduced | Type | Key Specifications | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BigDog | 2005 | Quadruped | 240 lbs, carries 340 lbs, 4 mph, hydraulic | Retired |
| LittleDog | 2009 | Quadruped | Small research platform for external software testing | Retired |
| PETMAN | 2009 | Bipedal humanoid | First dynamic anthropomorphic robot, 7 km/h walk | Retired |
| LS3 / AlphaDog | 2012 | Quadruped | Carries 400 lbs, GPS/LIDAR nav, <70 dB noise | Retired (2015) |
| Cheetah | 2012 | Quadruped | 28.3 mph top speed, tethered treadmill | Retired |
| WildCat | 2013 | Quadruped | 20 mph untethered, autonomous outdoor running | Retired |
| Atlas (Hydraulic) | 2013 | Bipedal humanoid | 1.5 m tall, 75-86 kg, 28 hydraulic joints | Retired (April 2024) |
| SandFlea | 2012 | Wheeled/jumping | 11 lbs, jumps 30 feet vertically | Retired |
| RiSE | 2005 | Hexapod climber | Six-legged, climbs vertical surfaces | Retired |
| RHex | 2002 | Hexapod | 30 lbs, six-legged rough-terrain robot | Retired |
| Handle | 2017 | Bipedal/wheeled | 6.5 ft tall, 9 mph, 4-ft vertical jump | Retired |
| Spot | 2016 (commercial 2020) | Quadruped | 32 kg, 14 kg payload, 90 min battery, $74,500 | Active (commercial) |
| Stretch | 2021 | Mobile manipulator | 50 lb box capacity, 800 cases/hr, 16-hr battery | Active (commercial) |
| Pick | 2020 | Vision system | ML-based 2D/3D box identification, <1 sec detection | Active (commercial) |
| Atlas (Electric) | 2024 | Bipedal humanoid | 89 kg, 1.5 m tall, electric actuators, 360-degree joints | Active (pre-production) |
Boston Dynamics has increasingly integrated artificial intelligence into its robots, with reinforcement learning (RL) playing a growing role. In February 2025, the company announced a partnership with the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI Institute), led by Marc Raibert, to establish a shared reinforcement learning training pipeline for the electric Atlas robot.
The collaboration focuses on sim-to-real transfer, where policies trained in simulation are deployed on physical hardware to generate agile, robust locomotion and manipulation behaviors. The teams are working on whole-body loco-manipulation, where Atlas manipulates objects while moving, and on developing policies that improve robustness when the robot interacts with fixtures and objects during locomotion.
Prior to the Atlas work, Boston Dynamics released a Reinforcement Learning Researcher Kit for Spot, enabling external researchers to train custom behaviors on the quadruped. The RL-trained Spot achieved record running speeds of 11.5 mph (5.2 m/s), far faster than its standard gait.
Computer vision is at the core of how Boston Dynamics robots perceive and interact with their environments. Spot uses cameras and LIDAR for autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and inspection tasks. Its machine learning algorithms detect anomalies during thermal scans and gauge readings. Stretch's vision system identifies boxes of many shapes, sizes, and visual appearances without requiring custom training for each warehouse customer.
In 2025, Boston Dynamics expanded Spot's AI capabilities to go beyond individual equipment inspections to full facility-level analysis, using AI to provide insights about the overall health of operations and sites.
At CES 2026, Boston Dynamics announced a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind to integrate Gemini Robotics foundation models into the Atlas platform. The partnership aims to broaden the range of tasks Atlas can perform by improving its ability to interpret instructions, adjust to different environments, and operate safely alongside humans. The Gemini Robotics models combine advanced perception, reasoning, and interaction capabilities, which will complement Atlas's physical dexterity. Joint research is being conducted at both companies' facilities.
Boston Dynamics operated for most of its history as a research-focused organization funded primarily through government contracts. The shift toward commercialization began under SoftBank's ownership and accelerated significantly after the Hyundai acquisition.
Spot was the company's first commercial product, launched in June 2020. Stretch followed as the second, targeting the warehouse logistics market. Together with Pick, these products form Boston Dynamics' current commercial portfolio. The company has deployed thousands of robots across more than 35 countries.
Revenue estimates for Boston Dynamics vary across sources, reflecting the company's private status and the evolving nature of its business. Third-party estimates have placed annual revenue in the range of $100 million to $150 million as of the mid-2020s, though exact figures are not publicly disclosed.
The Hyundai partnership provides both a major customer and a manufacturing partner. Hyundai has committed to purchasing tens of thousands of robots, and the two companies are building production capacity to support large-scale manufacturing. The plan to produce 30,000 robot units per year by 2028 would represent a dramatic scale-up from the company's current production volumes.
Boston Dynamics operates in an increasingly competitive robotics market, with competition coming from multiple directions.
The humanoid robot space has grown rapidly since 2023, with numerous companies developing bipedal robots for manufacturing, logistics, and general-purpose tasks:
In the quadruped market, Spot faces growing competition:
Stretch competes in the broader warehouse automation market against companies like Amazon Robotics, Locus Robotics, and other mobile manipulation platforms.
A 2025 market report placed Unitree, UBTech, and Boston Dynamics as leaders in the humanoid robotics market, commanding a combined 58.2% share, while Tesla, Agility Robotics, 1X Technologies, Figure AI, and Neura Robotics were identified as challengers scaling through innovation and partnerships.
Boston Dynamics has had an outsized cultural impact relative to its size. Videos of BigDog navigating ice and rough terrain, Atlas performing backflips and parkour, and Spot dancing have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. The company's robot demonstration videos have become a cultural touchstone for discussions about robotics, AI, and the future of work.
The videos have also sparked public debate about the implications of advanced robotics, with some viewers expressing awe at the engineering achievements and others voicing concerns about potential military or surveillance applications. Boston Dynamics has publicly committed to not weaponizing its robots and in 2022 joined other robotics companies in signing an open letter pledging not to arm general-purpose robots.