Boston Dynamics Simplifies 5th-Gen Atlas, Targets 30,000 Humanoids a Year
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 2
Boston Dynamics Simplifies 5th-Gen Atlas, Targets 30,000 Humanoids a Year
3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 2
Summary
Boston Dynamics said its fifth-generation Atlas cuts complexity by almost an order of magnitude, using far fewer and less unique parts to speed manufacturing, improve reliability and lower costs from prior models that ran above $200,000.
Hyundai plans to keep most or all of this year’s Atlas output for internal use, but Boston Dynamics said the simpler design is meant to support mass production and eventual outside sales at a rate of at least 30,000 units annually.
Alberto Rodriguez said Atlas now matches or exceeds the previous generation’s performance despite the stripped-down hardware, while software—especially control and reasoning systems—has become the main bottleneck to unlocking more capability.
Boston Dynamics also sees an edge in factory integration through software developed for its Stretch warehouse robot, and argues legs are no longer much more mechanically complex than wheeled bases for industrial work.
The redesign signals a shift from Atlas as a high-cost showcase to a scalable industrial product, with Hyundai’s manufacturing muscle potentially giving Boston Dynamics a stronger position in the humanoid robot race.