> At a Glance
> – Boston Dynamics publicly demonstrated its humanoid robot Atlas for the first time at CES
> – A production version will help assemble cars at Hyundai’s Georgia EV plant by 2028
> – Hyundai announced a new partnership with Google’s DeepMind to supply AI for its robots
> – Why it matters: The live demo intensifies the race to build human-like robots for real-world work
Boston Dynamics, owned by Hyundai, stepped into the humanoid spotlight Monday at CES, showing its Atlas robot walking, waving and swiveling on stage-no edits, no retakes.
The First Public Walk
Zachary Jackowski, Boston Dynamics’ general manager for humanoid robots, introduced the life-sized machine as it rose from the floor of a Las Vegas hotel ballroom. For several minutes Atlas paced the stage, head turning almost owl-like while an engineer guided it remotely for safety; in everyday use it will navigate autonomously.
The demonstration ended with Atlas swinging its arms to unveil a blue production model that looks slightly different from the research prototype.
Road to the Factory Floor
- Production Atlas units are already being built
- Target deployment: 2028 at Hyundai’s electric-vehicle plant near Savannah, Georgia
- Initial task: helping assemble cars on the line
Hyundai acquired the Massachusetts-based robotics firm from SoftBank in 2021; Google previously owned it from 2013 until SoftBank took over.
AI Boost from Google DeepMind
Hyundai also revealed that Google’s DeepMind will provide artificial-intelligence technology for future Boston Dynamics robots, reviving an old corporate relationship in a new form.
Why Live Demos Are Rare
Most companies stick to edited videos because public stumbles-like a Russian humanoid falling on its face last November-go viral fast. Boston Dynamics chose a live showcase to signal confidence in Atlas’ reliability.
Key Takeaways
- First public demo of Atlas signals confidence in hardware and software stability
- Hyundai plans factory deployment within three years, faster than many industry watchers expected
- Google DeepMind partnership could accelerate learning and adaptation for future robot generations
The flawless CES performance puts fresh pressure on rivals such as Tesla, while giving the public a glimpse of humanoid robots edging toward everyday jobs.
