Remember those videos of the robot doing mundane things but still grabbing attention simply because it could walk on two legs?. Those are officially old news now. We are about to see them perform tasks that make us feel uncomfortable, though the reason for that discomfort is the real issue at hand..
Boston Dynamics revealed their latest Atlas robot at CES, marking a historical pivot that leaves behind viral marketing videos in favour of actual job fulfilment.. Atlas is no longer a prototype; it is a working, commercial machine ready to find a home alongside blue-collar workers on the production line.. Hyundai is partnering with Boston Dynamics to provide the manufacturing base and scale, whilst the machine’s “brains” are supplied by Google DeepMind, with Nvidia providing the “Cosmos” simulation training..
Design Evolution
The Atlas robot has evolved considerably since those top-heavy, stumbling early versions.. It has done away with hydraulics in favour of automotive-grade, all-electric systems for movement.. This reduces the risk of a “robotic accident” resulting in high-pressure fluids spraying across the production floor..
Mobility has been dramatically improved, as seen in the recent demo where the robot walked in a manner that was, frankly, unnerving. It now possesses 56 degrees of freedom, which is double that of most competitors.. Rotational joints are a key feature, allowing it to get up from a flat position in the most horrific, Stephen King-inspired manner possible.. While it weighs roughly 200 lbs (95 kg), it can lift 110 lbs (50 kg), not a bad start, though clearly an area for future improvement..
That said, there is some comfort in it being unable to lift heavy objects easily; it is far funnier to imagine fighting off a weedy Terminator than a superhuman one.
Speaking of superhumans, it isn’t there yet, not even close. The battery life is currently only four hours.. However, this is somewhat irrelevant because of its “hot-swap” technology, which allows the battery to be changed in minutes.. Even better, it can walk to a charging station and swap its own battery out, meaning even the robots will need a quick “comfort break” just like their fleshy colleagues..
The “brain” uses Physical AI and Large Behaviour Models (LBMs) to navigate its environment safely.. This area will likely see regular updates via OTA packages or during downtime.. Movement has been the most noticeable advancement, and it will only improve. There may even come a time when we can give it a “funny walk” for no other reason than to mimic a disliked member of staff.
The Roadmap
This is where the reality begins to hit home. The roadmap for deployment is moving much quicker than many realise.. 2026 will see Hyundai rolling these units out at its industrial plants to “assist” humans on production lines, much like ChatGPT currently “assists” with your office work..
By 2028, the robots will be scaled at the Georgia Metaplant for parts sequencing, with 2030 aiming for an annual production capacity of 30,000 units.. That represents 30,000 potential manual labour jobs filled by a robot in a single year, and those numbers are unlikely to stay flat once demand is established..
The Economic Reality
The marketing for this robot is already targeting the demographic decline of developed nations.. The machine targets one million open manufacturing jobs and offers a promised return on investment (ROI) of just two years..
Unions are unlikely to welcome these additions to the factory floor, and many will attempt to halt or limit their use.. This may work for a time, but “Dark Factories“, where no human workers are present, are already an established concept.. The alternative for employers is simply to bring online entirely automated production lines away from legacy plants, phasing in the new whilst winding down the old.. Unions may soon find themselves negotiating from an increasingly weak position..
This is not to say there isn’t a benefit. The West has been increasingly at the mercy of supply lines leading back to China, largely due to cheap labour and lower production costs.. This technology potentially offers a route away from the current globalised setup and into a new localised or regionalised supply chain model.. Nearshoring and friendshoring are already trends; the addition of “cheap” robotic labour would only serve to further their expansion..
For mature economies with high labour costs but strong tech and design bases, this might just be a game changer.
While it is undisputed that these robots will take jobs, the real question is: from which country will they be taken?.