Boston Dynamics Cooperation With Toyota With AI Robots...Challenges Tesla

Boston Dynamics, a robot manufacturer affiliated with Hyundai Motor Co., has decided to work with Toyota Motor Corp. of Japan to speed up the development of humanoid robots equipped with artificial intelligence and AI.

Bloomberg said the two companies will combine Toyota Laboratories' large-scale behavioral model technology for robots with Boston Dynamics' humanoid Atlas robots.

It also said the cooperation between the two companies could pose a potential challenge to other smart robot programs, such as Optimus Robots, introduced by rival Tesla last week.

Boston Dynamics, which was acquired by Hyundai in 2020, is a company known for its robots such as "Atlas," a robot that can walk on two legs, and "Spot," also known as "Robot Dog."

The collaboration between Boston Dynamics and Toyota will focus on basic research with even commercial use in mind, but the two sides have not disclosed specific timelines and budgets.

"This kind of technology has tremendous potential for the future," Gil Pratt, Toyota's chief scientist, said in an interview. "What Toyota is doing in Generative AI will be complementary to what Boston Dynamics has been doing."

Pratt also said the ultimate goal is to introduce robots into factory manufacturing lines and homes for elderly care.

Aaron Saunders, chief technology officer at Boston Dynamics, also said the collaboration "will serve as the foundation for our commitment to bringing humanoid robots to the world on a large scale."