New reports suggest that Boston Dynamics’ Atlas is approaching the autonomy needed for industrial deployment.

The assessment follows recent demonstrations by Boston Dynamics that indicate significant progress in developing general intelligence.

Experts suggest advancements now enable humanoid robots to adapt to unfamiliar environments and perform a broader range of tasks beyond preprogrammed actions.

Recently, the US robotics firm launched a campaign featuring Atlas, using football to showcase human-centered robotics, AI, and human-robot interaction.

Atlas gains intelligence

Boston Dynamics is making rapid progress toward commercializing humanoid robots, with its Atlas platform approaching the level of autonomy required for industrial deployment, according to a new report from KB Securities.

Analyst Kang Sung-jin said recent demonstrations by Boston Dynamics, Hyundai Motor Group’s US-based robotics subsidiary, point to major advances in the development of humanoid robot “general intelligence” — the ability to adapt to unfamiliar environments and perform a broad range of tasks without relying solely on preprogrammed instructions, reports The Korean Herald (TKH).

A key factor behind this progress is the company’s accelerated training framework. According to the report, Boston Dynamics can run simulations equivalent to millions of hours of robot training in a single day. The resulting behaviors and skills can then be transferred to a physical Atlas robot in roughly one hour, significantly shortening development cycles and enabling faster deployment of new capabilities.

The report credits strategic collaborations with Google DeepMind and Nvidia for helping drive these advancements. DeepMind contributes expertise in artificial intelligence and learning systems, while Nvidia provides the high-performance computing infrastructure needed for large-scale simulation and robot training.

Recent Atlas demonstrations also highlight notable improvements in physical intelligence and whole-body control. In one example, the humanoid robot moved a refrigerator using coordinated movements across its entire body, while another video showed Atlas performing dynamic kicking motions that required balance, agility, and precise motor control, reports TKH.

Kang said the demonstrations reinforce Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to industrial humanoid robotics and position Boston Dynamics as a leading contender in the emerging market. He projects the company could secure 15 percent of the global humanoid robot market by 2035 and as much as 60 percent of the premium industrial humanoid segment.

Atlas industrial leap

Boston Dynamics says one of the key advantages of its new Atlas humanoid robot is a significantly reduced “sim-to-real gap” — a common robotics challenge where skills learned in simulation fail to transfer reliably to the physical world. The company attributes this improvement to Atlas’ simplified hardware design, which makes it easier to create highly accurate simulations for training.

Unlike many humanoid robots that use numerous actuator types and complex mechanical systems, Atlas relies on just two actuator types across its body. Its arms and legs are also designed symmetrically, simplifying both control and simulation. This streamlined architecture allows engineers to train the robot more efficiently in virtual environments and rapidly transfer those capabilities to the real machine.

Boston Dynamics also redesigned Atlas to eliminate cables running across joints, enabling continuous joint rotation while reducing wear and maintenance requirements. The added flexibility allows the robot to perform movements that are difficult for conventional humanoids.

The company highlighted Atlas’s ability to handle heavy industrial tasks. Although the robot was trained using loads weighing between 50 and 70 pounds (23–32 kilograms), it successfully moved a refrigerator weighing more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms) during testing. According to Boston Dynamics, such tasks require more than visual perception, demanding full-body coordination, weight anticipation, balance, and precise force control.

The company added that Atlas’s athletic feats, including handstands and backflips, serve a practical purpose by helping develop balance, agility, slip recovery, and endurance needed for real-world industrial environments.

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A Tawniese firm has unveiled its first humanoid robot capable of interacting with the physical world.

TM Technology, known primarily for integrated circuit design, has expanded its operations into sectors such as construction, green energy, and smart manufacturing, with support from its parent, Yinglin Group.

TM Technology said the humanoid robot combines advanced hardware and software as part of a broader intelligent platform strategy, representing a significant step in its efforts to develop next-generation AI-powered robotic systems.

Recently, Techman Robot from Taiwan unveiled its TM Xplore I humanoid at Nvidia GTC 2026 in San Jose, highlighting a collaboration with QCT and Nvidia.

Embodied AI emerges

As per reports, TM Technology’s newly unveiled humanoid robot combines AI, advanced manufacturing, biomimetic engineering, and multi-modal sensing technologies to operate in complex real-world environments. Designed as an embodied AI system, the robot features a layered architecture that mirrors key functions of the human nervous system.

At its core is an AI-powered “brain” responsible for semantic understanding, reasoning, task planning, and decision-making. A dedicated “cerebellum” subsystem manages balance, posture control, locomotion, and coordinated movement, enabling the robot to perform tasks with greater stability and precision. The platform also incorporates a sophisticated perception suite that combines 3D vision systems, LiDAR sensors, and force-sensing technology to create a detailed understanding of its surroundings and support real-time interaction, reports Taiwan News (TN).

The humanoid is equipped with multi-degree-of-freedom joints and dexterous robotic hands, enabling it to manipulate objects and perform a wide range of physical tasks. According to the company, the robot can handle transportation, inspection, assembly, and other precision operations that require coordinated motion and environmental awareness. Unlike traditional industrial robots that follow pre-programmed routines, the system is designed to adapt to changing conditions through learning-based interaction and intelligent decision-making.

TM Technology said the development marks a shift from conventional hardware manufacturing toward integrated intelligent platforms. The company expects initial deployment in factories and logistics environments, where autonomous robots can assist with repetitive and labor-intensive tasks, before expanding into healthcare, caregiving, and household service applications as the technology matures, reports TN.

Taiwan’s humanoid push

Another Taiwanese firm, Techman Robot, recently unveiled its next-generation humanoid robot, TM Xplore I. The robot reflects Techman’s strategy of combining artificial intelligence with industrial automation under its “See · Think · Act – Powered by AI Robotics” framework.

Unlike traditional bipedal humanoids, TM Xplore I features a humanoid upper body mounted on a wheeled mobile base, a design intended to improve stability, mobility, and operational reliability in factory environments. The platform combines autonomous navigation with dexterous manipulation, enabling it to transport materials, interact with workers, and perform precision tasks in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, electronics assembly, and automotive production.

The robot is powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Thor computing module, providing high-performance edge AI capabilities for real-time decision-making. It also incorporates Vision-Language-Action (VLA) technology, allowing it to process visual and language inputs simultaneously and translate them into physical actions. Techman’s software stack supports multimodal sensor fusion, generative AI inference, and autonomous operation.

TM Xplore I further leverages Nvidia’s robotics ecosystem, including Isaac Sim for simulation-based training and testing, FoundationStereo for AI-powered depth perception, and Isaac GR00T for enhanced dexterity and autonomy. Together, these technologies enable faster deployment, improved adaptability, and more efficient automation in smart manufacturing environments.

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