Boston, MA
Boston Dynamics Says Farewell to Its Humanoid Atlas Robot—Then Brings It Back Fully Electric
Yesterday, Boston Dynamics announced it was retiring its hydraulic Atlas robot. Atlas has long been the standard bearer of advanced humanoid robots. Over the years, the company was known as much for its research robots as it was for slick viral videos of them working out in military fatigues, forming dance mobs, and doing parkour. Fittingly, the company put together a send-off video of Atlas’s greatest hits and blunders.
But there were clues this wasn’t really the end, not least of which was the specific inclusion of the word “hydraulic” and the last line of the video, “‘Til we meet again, Atlas.” It wasn’t a long hiatus. Today, the company released hydraulic Atlas’s successor—electric Atlas.
The new Atlas is notable for several reasons. First, and most obviously, Boston Dynamics has finally done away with hydraulic actuators in favor of electric motors. To be clear, Atlas has long had an onboard battery pack—but now it’s fully electric. The advantages of going electric include less cost, noise, weight, and complexity. It also allows for a more polished design. From the company’s own Spot robot to a host of other humanoid robots, fully electric models are the norm these days. So, it’s about time Atlas made the switch.
Without a mess of hydraulic hoses to contend with, the new Atlas can now also contort itself in new ways. As you’ll note in the release video, the robot rises to its feet—a crucial skill for a walking robot—in a very, let’s say, special way. It folds its legs up along its torso and impossibly, for a human at least, pivots up through its waist (no hands). Once standing Atlas swivels its head 180 degrees, then does the same thing at each hip joint and the waist. It takes a few watches to really appreciate all the weirdness there.
The takeaway is that while Atlas looks like us, it’s capable of movements we aren’t and therefore has more flexibility in how it completes future tasks.
This theme of same-but-different is evident in its head too. Instead of opting for a human-like head that risks slipping into the uncanny valley, the team chose a featureless (for now) lighted circle. In an interview with IEEE Spectrum, Boston Dynamics CEO, Robert Playter, said the human-like designs they tried seemed “a little bit threatening or dystopian.”
“We’re trying to project something else: a friendly place to look to gain some understanding about the intent of the robot,” he said. “The design borrows from some friendly shapes that we’d seen in the past. For example, there’s the old Pixar lamp that everybody fell in love with decades ago, and that informed some of the design for us.”
While most of these upgrades are improvements, there is one area where it’s not totally clear how well the new form will fair: strength and power.
Hydraulics are known to provide both, and Atlas pushed its hydraulics to their limits carrying heavy objects, executing backflips, and doing 180-degree, in-air twists. According to the press release and Playter’s interviews, little has been lost in this category. In fact, they say, electric Atlas is stronger than hydraulic Atlas. Still, as with all things robotics, the ultimate proof of how capable it is will likely be in video form, which we’ll eagerly await.
Despite big design updates, the company’s messaging is perhaps more notable. Atlas used to be a research robot. Now, the company intends to sell them commercially.
This isn’t terribly surprising. There are now a number of companies competing in the humanoid robots space, including Agility, 1X, Tesla, Apptronik, and Figure—which just raised $675 million at a $2.6 billion valuation. Several are making rapid progress, with a heavy focus on AI, and have kicked off real-world pilots.
Where does Boston Dynamics fit in? With Atlas, the company has been the clear leader for years. So, it’s not starting from the ground floor. Also, thanks to its Spot and Stretch robots, the company already has experience commercializing and selling advanced robots, from identifying product-market fit to dealing with logistics and servicing. But AI was, until recently, less of a focus. Now, they’re folding reinforcement learning into Spot, have begun experimenting with generative AI too, and promise more is coming.
Hyundai acquired Boston Dynamics for $1.1 billion in 2021. This may prove advantageous, as they have access to a world-class manufacturing company along with its resources and expertise producing and selling machines at scale. It’s also an opportunity to pilot Atlas in real-world situations and perfect it for future customers. Plans are already in motion to put Atlas to work at Hyundai next year.
Still, it’s worth noting that, although humanoid robots are attracting attention, getting big time investment, and being tried out in commercial contexts, there’s likely a ways to go before they reach the kind of generality some companies are touting. Playter says Boston Dynamics is going for multi-purpose, but still niche, robots in the near term.
“It definitely needs to be a multi-use case robot. I believe that because I don’t think there’s very many examples where a single repetitive task is going to warrant these complex robots,” he said. “I also think, though, that the practical matter is that you’re going to have to focus on a class of use cases, and really making them useful for the end customer.”
Humanoid robots that tidy your house and do the dishes may not be imminent, but the field is hot, and AI is bringing a degree of generality not possible a year ago. Now that Boston Dynamics has thrown its name in the hat, things will only get more interesting from here. We’ll be keeping a close eye on YouTube to see what new tricks Atlas has up its sleeve.
Image Credit: Boston Dynamics
The Boston Harborwalk, a 43-mile park and pedestrian pathway that stretches along the city’s coastline, will soon extend further north into Charlestown and beyond.
The city’s Planning Department this week approved putting the estimated $5.5 million project out for bids from contractors. The extension will connect to the existing Harborwalk and stretch along Terminal Street and the Little Mystic Channel.
“The new pathway will be beautifully landscaped and furnished with seating, shade shelters and exercise equipment,” said Planning Department Director of Real Estate Rebecca Tomasovic during the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board meeting on Thursday.
Tomasovic explained that currently, the land is unused and overgrown. Pedestrians in the area are limited to Terminal Street, which has no sidewalks and is used primarily as a truck route. The Harborwalk extension will allow safe pedestrian travel between Chelsea Street and the Charlestown Athletic Fields, she said.
Planning for the Boston Harborwalk began in the 1980s, according to its website. In addition to walkways, it includes green space, seating, informational signage, exhibit spaces, cafes and other amenities. When the Harborwalk is complete, it will stretch close to 50 miles between Chelsea Creek in East Boston and the Neponset River in Dorchester.
Beyond pedestrian safety and recreation, the Harborwalk is also part of the city’s planning for climate sustainability for the future.
A 2022 report from the Office of Climate Resilience recommended the Charlestown extension, as well as elevating the existing Harborwalk paths in the area, as the height protects against rising sea levels and flooding.
“The Harborwalk is both highly vulnerable to the impacts of sea-level rise and presents an opportunity to create a resilient coastal edge,” officials wrote in the report. “Redesigning the Harborwalk along the Little Mystic to incorporate coastal resilience infrastructures provides opportunities not only to reduce risks from flooding but also to enhance the benefits this amenity provides.”
In October, the city was awarded a $500,000 grant from MassTrails, a division of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The city also expects to use over $1 million from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in the form of mitigation funds from the nearby Encore Casino and $750,000 in private donations through the Mystic River Watershed Association.
The Milwaukee Bucks have struggled this season without their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. But against the Celtics, it was other veterans who stepped up, the old Bucks shined in a victory.
1. Bobby Portis Jr A+
The 30-year-old has struggled all season but against Boston, Bobby Portis was out if this world. Portis went for a season high 27 points on an absurd 84.6% from the floor. Portis knocked down 5 of his 6 three pointers and gathered 10 boards. Portis presence on the defensive end is always strong, but it was the offense tonight propelling the Bucks to the win.
2. Kyle Kuzma A+
The 30-year-old turned back the clock against the Celtics producing a season high 31 points and shooting 76% from the field. Kuzma anchored the Bucks comeback scoring 25 of his 31 points in the second and third quarters. The Bucks trailed by as many as 14 and ran it up to a 21-point lead late in the fourth.
3. Kevin Porter Jr. A+
Kevin Porter Jr. gathered his first triple double of the season with 18/10/13. The 25-year-old continues to be one of the few bright spots for Milwaukee in a career year. Porter was getting whatever he wanted offensively and created for his teammates at a high level. Most notably Kyle Kuzma who accounted for 7 of his assists.
On the darker side of things, Myles Turner was extinct on the offensive end yet again. Turner had four points and was one of six from the floor while only gathering 3 rebounds. Turner did however help the Bucks hold the Celtics to 13 third quarter points, swinging the momentum back in Milwaukee’s favor. But Turner still has to be better, and prove his worth. Turner played 0 minutes in the fourth quarter, a troubling trend we have seen throughout the season, although tonight didn’t call for his presence.
This was exactly the game the Bucks needed, a win against a top team in the East, but also a win without Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the win is a bright spot in a rather dull season, every win counts in their current sitaution. As more losses could make a Giannis trade more likely.
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Holiday deliveries are stacking up on Boston doorsteps and police warn that means porch pirate season is back.
In the past year, one in four Americans was a victim of package theft with losses averaging between $50 and $100 per incident, according data in a report on package thefts in 2025 from security.org.
December is the peak month for porch pirates, with households receiving 10 more packages on average at the end of the year than at the start, the report found. Additionally, those who live in apartments and condos are over three times as likely to have packages stolen than people in single-family homes.
The crimes are something Boston residents are no stranger to.
During the holiday season in 2024, South Boston was terrorized by an individual the Boston Police Department dubbed the “Tom Brady of Porch Pirates.”
A 34-year-old woman named Kerri Flynn was arrested in connection with the thieveries on Christmas Eve 2024, after a Boston police cadet saw her in South Boston holding two bags stuffed with unopened packages.
Prosecutors ultimately dismissed her charges related to the South Boston thefts, as she pleaded guilty to charges in two other larceny cases. Flynn was sentenced to a year of probation with conditions to remain drug-free with screens and undergo a substance abuse evaluation with treatment.
To avoid another season of stolen gifts, Boston police are urging residents to take precautions and released a video on the topic Thursday.
The department advises to track deliveries and be home — or ask a neighbor — to grab them, or use secure options like lockers or scheduled drop-offs. Police also say to install a doorbell camera and immediately report any missing items, regardless of price or size.
Carriers like Amazon, FedEx, UPS and USPS also have a few more pieces of advice, like requiring signatures for high-value items and to avoid leaving packages out overnight.
Amazon recommends using Lockers or Hub Counters and enabling Photo-on-Delivery, while UPS suggests signing up for My Choice to redirect packages to Access Points. USPS also offers “Informed Delivery” and options to hold for pickup — all tools that may keep holiday gifts from getting intercepted before they reach the tree.
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