‘The robot never gets tired’: Hyundai explains why its Boston Dynamics Atlas robot is ready to take over factories, but not your home

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was awash with humanoid robots. Brands used little dancing droids to attract crowds to stands, while amateur teams of engineers conducted impromptu robot-offs in the car park.

As a result, it was easy to view these often diminutive bits of technology as a novelty – until, that is, Hyundai’s 90kg Atlas humanoid robot stomped onto stage a day before the show floor opened to the public.

Measuring around 5ft tall, with the ability to reach up to heights of around 7.5ft when fully extended, Atlas is the brainchild of Boston Dynamics, the world-renowned robotics company that already has its Spot robotic dogs busy working on everything from security details to quality control shifts.