Boston Dynamics has started commercial deployments of its Atlas humanoid robot at DHL and Amazon warehouses across the Midwest. The robots are handling mixed-case depalletizing and item picking tasks that were previously too complex for conventional automation systems.
Each Atlas unit can operate autonomously for up to 16 hours on a single charge and handle objects weighing up to 55 pounds. The robots use advanced computer vision and tactile sensors to grasp items of varying shapes and sizes with a 99.2 percent accuracy rate.
The deployment represents a major milestone for humanoid robotics in commercial applications. Boston Dynamics says it has orders for over 500 units, with pricing starting at $150,000 per robot under a robotics-as-a-service model.
