Boston Dynamics, which is owned by Softbank, began as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Marc Raibert and his colleagues first developed robots that ran and maneuvered like animals. Boston Dynamics has since become a world leader in mobile robots, tackling some of the toughest robotics challenges.
It combines the principles of dynamic control and balance with sophisticated mechanical designs, cutting-edge electronics, and next-generation software for high-performance robots equipped with perception, navigation, and intelligence. Its robots include the Atlas humanoid, and Handle wheeled robot, and Spot quadruped. In June 2020, Boston Dynamics started selling Spot, marking the first time the company commercialized a robot.
Company Details
Privately held company founded in 1992.
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Boston Dynamics


DEARBORN, MI. July 27, 2020 – Fluffy looks at Scouter, an Autonomous Mobile Robot that can autonomously navigate facilities while scanning and capturing 3-D point clouds to generate a CAD of the facility. If an area is too tight for Scouter, Fluffy comes to the rescue. Ford is tapping four-legged robots at its Van Dyke Transmission Plant in early August to laser scan the plant, helping engineers update the original computer-aided design. These robots can be deployed into tough-to-reach areas within the plant to scan the area with laser scanners and high-definition cameras, collecting data used to retool plants, saving Ford engineers time and money. Ford is leasing two robots, nicknamed Fluffy and Spot, from Boston Dynamics – a company known for building sophisticated mobile robots.

