Boston Dynamics’s next-gen humanoid robot will have Google DeepMind DNA - TechCrunch
Boston Dynamics already has products, like the quadruped Spot, that are in customers’ hands in more than 40 countries. Its warehouse robot Stretch has unloaded more than 20 million boxes globally since its launch in 2023, according to Hyundai.
Key takeaways
The most recent headlines on humanoid robots focus on a wave of new deployments and AI partnerships announced at CES 2026 and in early‑January 2026. Hyundai Motor’s Boston Dynamics unit unveiled a production‑ready version of the Atlas humanoid, slated to begin work in its Savannah, Georgia “Metaplant” factory in 2028, initially handling repetitive parts‑sequencing tasks before moving to more complex assembly by 2030. At the same event, Boston Dynamics announced a strategic collaboration with Google DeepMind to embed DeepMind’s foundation‑model AI into the next‑generation Atlas, aiming to give the robot more human‑like perception and interaction capabilities. Nvidia highlighted its new Gr00t vision‑language model and Cosmos reasoning model, describing them as the “ChatGPT moment” for robots and promising human‑level capabilities later this year. Italy’s Generative Bionics introduced Gene.01, a humanoid backed by AMD’s GPUs for industrial use such as shipyard work, while LG debuted its home‑focused CLOiD robot that can fold towels and load washing machines. China’s rapid scaling of humanoid production was noted in an Omdia report, which projects the global market for general‑purpose embodied‑intelligence robots to reach 2.6 million units by 2035, driven by Chinese volume manufacturing and U.S. AI advances. Together, these developments signal a shift from prototype showcases to scaled pilot deployments of humanoid robots across manufacturing, logistics and consumer spaces.
Boston Dynamics already has products, like the quadruped Spot, that are in customers’ hands in more than 40 countries. Its warehouse robot Stretch has unloaded more than 20 million boxes globally since its launch in 2023, according to Hyundai. Now Boston Dynamics and Hyundai are preparing for the next generation, starting with the humanoid robot Atlas, which the company announced Monday is already in production and headed to a Hyundai factory. The partnership, which was announced during the Hyundai press conference at CES 2026, is centered on robotics research that will use Google DeepMind’s AI foundation models. Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot Atlas will be the first test case, according to Carolina Parada, senior director of robotics at Google DeepMind.
“We’re looking to integrate our cutting-edge AI foundation models with Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas robots, and we’ll aim to develop the world’s most advanced robot foundation model to fulfill the promise of true general-purpose human needs,” Parada said on stage. ### Topics
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Robotics
Boston Dynamics’s next-gen humanoid robot will have Google DeepMind DNA
Kirsten Korosec
Robotics company Boston Dynamics announced Monday a strategic partnership with Google’s AI research lab to speed up the development of its next-generation humanoid robot Atlas — and make it act more human around people.
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