SHERIDAN, WYOMING – October 18, 2024 – Boston Dynamics and Toyota Research Institute (TRI) are joining forces to accelerate the development of general-purpose humanoid robots. The partnership will combine TRI's expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning with Boston Dynamics' advanced humanoid robots, such as Atlas.
Combining Strengths to Tackle Real-World Challenges
This collaboration brings together two industry leaders in robotics, each with a strong research and development foundation. The partnership aims to leverage their combined strengths to tackle complex challenges and create robots that can solve real-world problems.
"There has never been a more exciting time for the robotics industry, and we look forward to working with TRI to accelerate the development of general-purpose humanoids," said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics. "This partnership is an example of two companies with a strong research-and-development foundation coming together to work on many complex challenges and build useful robots that solve real-world problems."
Advancing Physical Intelligence through AI
The partnership will focus on integrating TRI's state-of-the-art AI technology, including Large Behavior Models (LBMs) and diffusion policy, with Boston Dynamics' advanced humanoid platforms. This integration is expected to significantly advance the development of robots with enhanced physical intelligence and dexterity.
"Recent advances in AI and machine learning hold tremendous potential for advancing physical intelligence," said Gill Pratt, chief scientist for Toyota and CEO of TRI. "The opportunity to implement TRI's state-of-the-art AI technology on Boston Dynamics' hardware is game-changing for each of our organizations as we work to amplify people and improve quality of life."
Co-Leadership and Research Focus
The research partnership will be co-led by Scott Kuindersma, senior director of Robotics Research at Boston Dynamics, and Russ Tedrake, vice president of Robotics Research at Toyota Research Institute. The joint team will focus on training humanoid robots for a range of tasks, leveraging whole-body sensing, and understanding human-robot interaction and safety.
About Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics is a global leader in developing and deploying highly mobile robots for industrial applications. Their robots, including Spot, Stretch, and Atlas, are equipped with advanced mobility, dexterity, and intelligence, enabling automation in challenging environments.
About Toyota Research Institute
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) conducts research to amplify human capabilities and improve quality of life. TRI's research focuses on energy and materials, human-centered artificial intelligence, human interactive driving, and robotics.