Boston Dynamics · research humanoid
Atlas
next generation
A smaller, battery-powered but still hydraulically actuated Atlas, about 5 ft 9 in and 180 lb, with lidar and stereo vision in the head. It was the research platform behind Boston Dynamics' famous parkour and dance videos until the hydraulic Atlas was retired in 2024.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- 175 cmTaller than 73%
- Weight
- 82 kgHeavier than 76%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
Not sure this is the one? Find the best robot for your job Starts with: research and teaching. Five more quick questions.
Why it matters
Became the best-known demonstration humanoid of its era, with the first humanoid parkour (2018) and backflip/parkour routines (2017-2021) shown on video.
Real-world use
No customers or deployments reported yet.
Timeline
- Released
- Not yet
Maker
Boston DynamicsCompany · founded 1992 · Waltham, Massachusetts, United StatesOwned by Hyundai Motor Group since June 2021 (80% stake bought from SoftBank for about $880M; SoftBank kept about 20%).
How it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
Atlas (next generation) is taller than 73% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Atlas (next generation) is heavier than 76% of the 277 other humanoids that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: speed, payload, joints, battery, price.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current humanoids.
- 2,745 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (Atlas (robot))
- 5 news stories from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-14; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Hands
- simple
- Movement
- Walks on legs
- Actuators & motors
- Electrically powered, hydraulically actuated; Boston Dynamics kept hydraulics because electric motors were not yet strong enough for a robot this heavy (IEEE Spectrum).
- Sensors & vision
- Body and leg sensors for balance; LiDAR and stereo sensors in the head for obstacle avoidance, terrain assessment and navigation.
- Other details
- About 1.75 m and 82 kg, much smaller and lighter than the DRC Atlas; demonstrated getting up by itself after a fall (IEEE Spectrum, 2016).
Lineage
Every Boston Dynamics humanoid in order.
PETMAN2009Retired
Atlas (DRC hydraulic Atlas)2013Retired- Atlas (next generation)2016Retired
Atlas (electric prototype)2024Prototype
Atlas (product version)2026Pilot use
Boston Dynamics also makes 15 machines. See every Boston Dynamics robot
Watch Atlas (next generation)
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- Not published
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Sold or delivered
- Never sold; in-house research platform.
- Where it is sold or used
- United States
News
The latest 5, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Hydraulic Atlas retired
Boston Dynamics retired hydraulic Atlas after more than a decade of humanoid research and introduced a fully electric successor.
Boston Dynamics - Boston Dynamics's humanoid robot Atlas mastered a parkour track. But like a human, it took plenty of practice.
A Boston Dynamics video showed two Atlas robots traversing a parkour course, including balance beams, slanted platforms, and backflips.
Boston.com - Watch: New video from Boston Dynamics shows robot doing parkour
Boston Dynamics demonstrated Atlas jumping over a log and climbing progressively higher boxes using whole-body control.
Boston.com - Boston Dynamics' Atlas Robot Does Backflips Now and It's Full-Tilt Insane
A Boston Dynamics video showed Atlas leaping between platforms and performing a backflip.
WIRED - Atlas, The Next Generation video
Boston Dynamics revealed the smaller, untethered Atlas.
IEEE Spectrum
Side by side with its peers
Picked by the same rules for every humanoid: another maker’s robot that moves the same way, is at the same stage and does at least one of the same main jobs, first shown within two years. Closer size and price rank higher. How we choose
| Measure | Atlas (next generation)Boston Dynamics |  Surena IIIUniversity of Tehran, Center for Advanced Systems and Technologies (CAST)Same job: research · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |  ESCHERVirginia Tech TREC Lab (Team VALOR)Same job: research · Both walk · Both past robots |  DRC-HUBOKAIST (Team KAIST) with Rainbow RoboticsSame job: research · Both walk · Both past robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2016-02-23 | 2015-11 | 2015-06 | 2015-06-05 |
| Status | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Height | 175 cm | 190 cm | — | — |
| Weight | 82 kg | 98 kg | — | — |
| Joints | — | 31 | — | — |
| Speed | — | — | — | — |
| Payload | — | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | — | — |
| Price | — | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
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