If someone was to tell you that Hyundai was having a big press conference at CES, the first thing that would come to mind would likely be cars.
But, at CES 2026, Hyundai’s big event on Monday was all about Boston Dynamics’ robots and the first time its Atlas robot appeared outside the lab and in front of a public audience.
The press conference began with a group of Boston Dynamics’ well-known Spot robots doing a dance number before the event’s announcements officially kicked off. You’ve likely seen video of Boston Dynamic’s two-legged humanoid robot known as Atlas, but those have always been in the company’s lab.
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Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot walked out in front of a public audience for the first time at CES 2026 before the debut of the new product version of the Atlas.
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However, at CES, Atlas walked out on stage in front of the public for the first time. The robot stands up off the floor in an awkward fashion, but Boston Dynamics explains this as the best way for the robot to get up — because it’s not human and doesn’t have to conform to the way we need to stand up.
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As Atlas walked around the stage, Boston Dynamics announced the new product version of its Atlas robot that will be sent out in the field. The new Atlas robot can lift up to 110lbs and extend its arms up to 7.5 feet. The new Atlas is fully water-resistant and can work in temperatures as low as -4 degrees and as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The Atlas robot can quickly learn new tasks and then share that knowledge instantly with other Atlas robots. The Atlas robots battery pack can last for four hours and, when the charge starts to run out, the Atlas robot can return to its charging station and swap out the battery packs all on its own.
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Where does Hyundai come in at their own press conference? Hyundai is partnering with Boston Dynamics to actually create the Atlas robots, supply the actuators and work together to build the supply chain. In addition, Hyundai itself will utilize all of the robots manufactured this year, with the robots scheduled to ship to Hyundai’s Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC). Google DeepMind is also partnering with the two companies in order to further develop Atlas’ cognitive abilities with its AI models.
Credit: Mashable
Boston Dynamics and Hyundai hope that once Atlas robots prove themselves in a factory setting, these robots can one day start performing tasks inside the home.
