"Better Than Tesla, Scarily Impressive"…Hyundai Motor Robot Surprises Foreign Media

Boston Dynamics Atlas Work Video
Praised by Overseas Media... Article Covered Significantly
Mention of Autonomous Execution and Behavior Error Correction
Differentiated from Tesla Optimus Amid 'Remote Control Controversy'

Hyundai Motor Group's robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot 'Atlas' work footage is attracting attention from overseas media. While competitor Tesla's Optimus robot has been revealed to operate under partial remote control by some individuals, Atlas's technology, which performs tasks autonomously, is being highlighted.

Since Boston Dynamics recently released footage of Atlas performing tasks, major foreign media and global tech specialized outlets have given significant coverage to the video. The American daily newspaper New York Post spotlighted Boston Dynamics' technology in a report titled "Atlas Video Shows Task Performance Without Human Assistance." The New York Post stated, "The released footage shows the robot easily performing mechanical and physical tasks without human help," adding, "The humanoid robot Atlas is focused on demonstrating new capabilities."

The humanoid robot 'Atlas' created by Boston Dynamics is wearing a Halloween costume and placing items on a shelf.
[Photo by Boston Dynamics]

IEEE Spectrum, a tech magazine founded in 1964, selected the Atlas work footage as the "Most Amazing Video of the Week." The publication described Boston Dynamics' video as showing "an electric Atlas that is both productive and autonomous."

TechRadar, the UK's largest tech-focused media outlet, also featured the video as "The Scariest Video of This Year's Halloween." TechRadar emphasized, "Attention should be paid to the fact that Atlas performs everything autonomously," and noted, "Unlike Tesla's Optimus robot, which was operated partly by remote control at a recent event, Atlas requires no person to direct its movements or decisions."

Popular Science, a popular science magazine with a 150-year history, also focused on the potential applications of the new Atlas. The magazine mentioned in its article, "Through a demo moving an engine cover, Atlas is preparing to work in automobile factories."

The humanoid robot 'Atlas' created by Boston Dynamics is squatting down and placing items on a shelf. Atlas independently decides and performs all processes of perception, judgment, and control.
[Photo by Boston Dynamics]

Boston Dynamics released videos of Atlas performing tasks consecutively on the 30th and 31st of last month. In the footage, Atlas uses a machine learning vision model to recognize the position and type of parts and finds precise grasp points to pick up objects. It then inserts the parts into each compartment of a mobile storage unit. Additionally, when a movement fails, it immediately adjusts its posture and corrects the action. Boston Dynamics emphasized, "There is no remote control during the execution process, and all movements are autonomously generated through the robot's perception-decision-control process."

Boston Dynamics' emphasis on the "autonomy of robots" appears to be a response to the recent controversy surrounding Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus. In October, Tesla unveiled Optimus, which talks like a human and serves drinks, at a large-scale robotics event. However, it was recently revealed that the Optimus used at this event was partially operated by remote control, sparking controversy.

Boston Dynamics seems to have adopted a differentiation strategy by emphasizing the technology of Atlas, which operates autonomously. Recently, the company also announced a collaboration with Toyota to accelerate the development of AI-based humanoid robots. The plan is to apply Toyota Research Institute's Large Behavior Model (LBM) learning technology to Boston Dynamics robots, which possess leading hardware technology in the industry.