Boston Dynamics founded as MIT Leg Lab spinout by Marc Raibert (formerly CMU + MIT robotics professor); thesis was hopping/balancing dynamic robots based on Raibert's BigDog-precursor research; initial DoD/DARPA contracts for simulation software (DI-Guy training tools used by US Army)

BigDog quadruped revealed via DARPA funding ($26M+ over years); 1m tall, 110kg, gas-powered hydraulic, carries 150kg, traverses snow/ice/rubble; first viral robotics demo (kicked-and-recovered video drew tens of millions of views by 2008)

PETMAN bipedal humanoid prototype unveiled — DARPA-funded chemical protection suit tester; first BD biped, walked at 4.4 mph on treadmill; precursor design philosophy that became Atlas

Atlas hydraulic humanoid (Gen 1) unveiled for DARPA Robotics Challenge — 188cm, 150kg, 28 hydraulic DOF, tethered to external power; given free to 7 DRC teams as common platform after Fukushima-inspired disaster-response challenge launched 2012

Google X (Andy Rubin) acquires Boston Dynamics for undisclosed sum (reported sub-$500M); BD becomes part of Replicant robotics group inside Alphabet alongside Schaft and Industrial Perception

DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals at Pomona Fairplex — 6 of 24 teams used Atlas Gen 1; Team KAIST (DRC-Hubo) wins $2M; many Atlas runs ended in iconic falls, exposing limits of hydraulic biped autonomy

Atlas Next Generation (Gen 2) revealed — 175cm, 82kg, untethered electric+hydraulic hybrid, walks on snow, recovers from human shoves with stick; viral 'don't bully the robot' demo passes 30M YouTube views, defining public perception of bipedal robotics

SoftBank acquires Boston Dynamics from Alphabet for undisclosed sum (~$165M+ reported); Alphabet exits robotics; deal also included Schaft (later shut down 2018); BD operates independently under SoftBank Vision Fund umbrella

Atlas backflip viral video — first humanoid to perform a controlled aerial backflip, sticking the landing; demonstrated explosive hydraulic power-to-weight ratio years ahead of any electric competitor

Hyundai Motor Group acquires controlling 80% stake from SoftBank at $1.1B enterprise value (Hyundai $880M cash); SoftBank retains 20%; Spot, Atlas, Stretch, Pick now under Hyundai umbrella with promise of factory deployments

'Do You Love Me' viral video — Atlas + Spot + Handle dance to The Contours, demonstrating choreographed full-body coordination; passed 35M views, peak public-imagination moment for BD

Atlas hydraulic platform officially retired after 11 years and 3 generations — farewell highlight reel published showing falls + recoveries + parkour; closes hydraulic chapter, embraces all-electric form factor for commercial scale

All-Electric Atlas unveiled — 28 hydraulic-equivalent electric actuators, 360-degree joints (head + waist + limbs rotate full circle), more compact factory-ready form, sleek polycarbonate shell; first BD humanoid designed explicitly for production deployment

Hyundai partnership confirmed — Atlas Electric to deploy at Hyundai Metaplant America (HMGMA) Savannah Georgia EV plant by 2026 for parts kitting/sequencing; HMGMA is Hyundai's $7.6B flagship US EV facility

Atlas Electric commercial pilot at Hyundai assembly line begins — parts kitting demo at Mobis facility in South Korea; first deployment of all-electric Atlas in production environment, ~12 months after April 2024 reveal

Atlas Electric autonomous mobile manipulation milestone — end-to-end policy demo with reinforcement learning for full-body pickup + place + walk tasks; published as part of BD's Atlas RL paper series

RoboCup 2025 partnership with Toyota Research Institute — Atlas Electric demonstration at robotic soccer event; TRI provides Large Behavior Models (LBMs) for Atlas manipulation; signals BD-Toyota AI alliance

Atlas Electric Toyota Research Institute partnership formalized — Large Behavior Models (LBMs) for Atlas manipulation; BD-TRI joint paper on diffusion policies trained on robot teleoperation data

Atlas Electric expanded pilot at Hyundai Metaplant America (HMGMA) Savannah — kitting and sequencing tasks in body-shop area; first BD humanoid deployment in US automotive plant