Atlas

Atlas is a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics. It originated as a research project at Boston Dynamics before the company was acquired by Google in 2013, and has since undergone changes in ownership involving SoftBank and Hyundai Motor Group.

In September 2026, reports indicated that a dedicated training facility at Hyundai Motor Group's American plant (HMGMA) began operating to train Atlas humanoids on part transport and sequencing tasks. In the same month, reports indicated that SoftBank Group agreed to acquire the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) from Hyundai Motor Group. The transaction is currently under review by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). RAI is the research institute that developed the whole-body learning framework enabling the acrobatic movements demonstrated by the new-generation Atlas humanoid.

In October 2026, Boston Dynamics unveiled a new hand design for Atlas. This four-fingered hand features 13 degrees of freedom, an increase from the previous 7-degree configuration, and utilizes direct actuation. The design is optimized for high-fidelity simulation and reinforcement learning to facilitate dexterous tasks such as tool manipulation and object reorientation. This shift prioritizes industrial reliability and scalability over mimicking human anatomy.