Boston Dynamics Atlas
| Manufacturer | Boston Dynamics |
|---|---|
| Announced | 2013 (first Atlas); product version shown 5 January 2026 |
| Status | shipping |
| Height | 1.9 m (6.2 ft) |
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lbs) |
| Degrees of freedom | 56 |
| Reach | 2.3 m (7.5 ft) |
| Payload, instant | 50 kg (110 lbs) |
| Payload, sustained | 30 kg (66 lbs) |
| Payload, one-handed | 20 kg (44 lbs) |
| Battery life | 4 hrs |
| Battery life with heavy lifting | 2 hrs |
| Battery swap time | 3 min (charge time 1.5 hrs) |
| Charge power | 110 V (220 V optional) |
| Sensors | Tactile fingers and palm; 360° camera view |
| Dust and water rating | IP67 |
| Operating temperature | -20° to 40° C (-4° to 104° F) |
| Operating modes | Autonomous, virtual reality teleoperated, tablet control |
| Safety system | Fenceless guarding, human detection |
| Workflow integrations | Barcode scanner, RFID |
| Built in | Made in the USA |
The machine in motion
Atlas Goes Hands On
What it is
Atlas is a two-legged humanoid robot built by Boston Dynamics in Boston, United States. It stands 1.9 metres tall and weighs 90 kilograms, so it fits at workstations made for people. The current robot runs on electric motors, not hydraulic fluid.
Boston Dynamics has used the Atlas name since 2013. Wikipedia, an outside source, dates the first hydraulic Atlas to 2013 and the electric version to 2024. The company showed the product version at the Consumer Electronics Show on 5 January 2026.
What it can actually do
Atlas is made for moving things: parts sequencing, machine tending and order building. It can hold 50 kilograms for short lifts, 30 kilograms over longer work and 20 kilograms in one hand. Its reach extends to 2.3 metres.
The robot has 56 degrees of freedom, which means 56 separate joint movements. Boston Dynamics says the joints turn all the way round, so Atlas can twist in ways a person cannot. It senses with touch pads in its fingers and palm plus cameras giving a full 360-degree view.
Power lasts about four hours, or two hours with heavy lifting. The robot walks to a charging station and swaps its own battery in three minutes. Staff can run it by itself, drive it through a virtual reality headset, or steer it from a tablet.
Safety comes from human detection and what the company calls fenceless guarding, so no cage is needed. Atlas is rated IP67 for dust and water and works from minus 20 to plus 40 degrees Celsius. It connects to factory software through Boston Dynamics’ Orbit platform, including Manufacturing Execution Systems and Warehouse Management Systems.
Where it stands
Boston Dynamics said it would start building the product version at once. All 2026 deliveries were already committed, to Hyundai’s Robotics Metaplant Application Center and to Google DeepMind. The company said more customers would follow in early 2027.
You cannot order one. There is no published price and no online shop. Buyers go through a sales conversation, and the company says it works with a small number of early adopters first. Hyundai Motor Group, the majority owner, supplies actuators through Hyundai Mobis.
What is unclear
Boston Dynamics publishes no price, so cost per robot and service fees are unknown. Numbers circulating online are estimates from outside sources, not company figures.
The specification sheet gives no walking speed and no figure for how fast Atlas completes a task. The company’s own boilerplate text in the January 2026 release still described Atlas as “currently in development”, while the same release announced production. How many robots exist, and how well they hold up over months of shift work, is not published.
Sources
- Atlas Humanoid Robot – Boston Dynamics product page
- Atlas specification and sales sheet (PDF), Boston Dynamics
- Boston Dynamics Unveils New Atlas Robot to Revolutionize Industry
- Atlas Goes Hands On – Boston Dynamics video
- Atlas (robot) – Wikipedia
What changed
- Entry created.