With rapid advances in AI already ticking key milestones, Google is now setting its sights on humanoid robots powered by the Gemini AI model. In a recent development, Boston Dynamics and Google DeepMind announced a new AI partnership aimed at making humanoid robots smarter and more productive, moving beyond flashy demos to real-world utility.
The partnership brings together Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot and Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics AI models, with the shared objective of making Atlas more adaptable, intelligent, and capable of performing real-world industrial tasks.
The collaboration will concentrate on visual-language-action models, considered one of the most challenging areas for robots. The models developed by Google DeepMind aim to enable Atlas to comprehend verbal or written commands, interpret intricate environments, and determine the appropriate actions. This will allow the robots to adjust to unforeseen circumstances in real-world applications.
As for the recent other developments, Boston Dynamics has introduced the fully electric version of Atlas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 and also confirmed that production is kicking off immediately. In addition, the company's deployment plans for 2026 are also in place, and the initial fleets will be shipped to Google DeepMind and Hyundai Motor Group. Here, the robots will train for industrial roles, starting with automotive manufacturing.
Google DeepMind's Senior Director of Robotics, Carolina Parada, said, "We developed our Gemini Robotics models to bring AI into the physical world. We are excited to begin working with the Boston Dynamics team to explore what’s possible with their new Atlas robot as we develop new models to expand the impact of robotics, and to scale robots safely and efficiently."
In a similar vein, the Atlas Robot Behavior Director at Boston Dynamics said, "We are building the world’s most capable humanoid, and we knew we needed a partner that could help us establish new kinds of visual-language-action models for these complex robots."
