Boston Dynamics Atlas Robot Performs 360-Degree Wheel-Based Jump, Factory Deployment Planned for 2028

　　【CNMO Technology News】According to CNMO Technology, the humanoid robot Atlas, developed by Boston Dynamics, a robotics company under Hyundai Motor Group, successfully completed a 360-degree aerial rotation jump after having wheels installed on its feet. On November 9 local time, Boston Dynamics released a research video on its official channel, showcasing Atlas completing complex movements with the help of wheels, reflecting the progress in robot control technology.

Hyundai Atlas Robot

　　In the video, Atlas had scooter-style wheels installed on both ankles to replace the original feet, completing a sharp turn after rolling at high speed, and also demonstrated lateral shuffle movements. Notably, it completed a 360-degree rotation jump, landing after a full rotation in the air, with movements similar to a figure skater. The robot can also maintain balance on a single wheel and continue moving independently after getting up from the ground, demonstrating balance maintenance capabilities in complex movements. Boston Dynamics stated that this rotation jump action was learned by imitating human movement and was successfully completed on the first attempt on a physical robot.

　　This wheeled version of Atlas is not a commercial product, but rather a research platform used to test the limits of motor performance and full-body control technology. Wheeled movement provides a suitable testing environment for actuator reliability, as motors need to continuously output high torque and high speed during acceleration, turning, and stopping while supporting the robot's weight. Boston Dynamics only made a small number of structural changes, directly installing commercially available wheels on the existing ankle actuators, with the only customized part being the connector joining the wheels and the ankles.

　　The technical core lies in the combination of AI-based reinforcement learning and Sim-to-Real technology. The robot repeatedly tries and fails in a virtual environment to optimize actions, while simultaneously precisely incorporating the physical characteristics of actual motors into the simulation to ensure stable performance on physical robots. The spinning jump action utilizes human motion capture data for learning, and the research team focuses on narrowing the gap between the simulation environment and physical hardware. Atlas control engineer Andy Wu stated that it surprised him that the robot independently figured out how to use wheels for propulsion, and he emphasized the importance of reinforcement learning in enhancing robot capabilities.

Hyundai Motor Group

　　Hyundai Motor Group plans to use the control technology developed in this study to further improve Atlas's performance in conventional bipedal forms. Boston Dynamics also plans to further develop control technology so that AI can adaptively respond even when actuator failures occur in unpredictable environments such as factories. Hyundai Mobis will begin production of Atlas actuator prototypes at the Yongin Research Center in Gyeonggi Province this month, with a target supply time of 2028. The group plans to deploy Atlas in a new factory in Georgia, USA, in 2028 to be responsible for parts sorting, and plans to expand the application to assembly processes by 2030.