CES 2026 – can Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot carry the humanoid industry on its shoulder?

Among the bigger stories at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week was that of humanoid robots, but the reality was an enterprise and industrial case study involving autonomy, AI, and mass production being shoe-horned into a consumer event to generate mass-media interest.

Mobile robotics company Boston Dynamics – famous for its Spot quadrupeds (robot dogs) and for videos of its hydraulic Atlas prototypes running, jumping, and turning somersaults – launched the product version of its Atlas humanoid at CES 2026. Like the titan of Greek mythology, Boston Dynamics hopes the robot will carry the world on its shoulders – in this case, the world of human-like machines and technologists’ hope for their success.

So, now the real work begins for the humanoid robotics sector: can it leave 100 years of science fiction behind and become a viable global industry with real-world applications?

The now all-electric Atlas is explicitly designed ...