# Boston Dynamics talks about its big year, Hyundai acquisition

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2020-12-16
- Length: 1h 28m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition

## Summary

Michael Patrick Perry, VP of Business Development at Boston Dynamics, discusses the company's acquisition by Hyundai Motor Group for $880 million and its commercialization of the Spot quadruped robot, which has seen 400 deployments. Dr. Timothy Chung, program manager for the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, details the lessons learned from the virtual Cave Circuit competition, highlighting the importance of heterogeneous robot teams and autonomy in GPS-denied environments.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=7) Introduction and Hyundai Acquisition Context
- [8:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=510) Boston Dynamics Commercialization and Spot Deployments
- [13:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=824) Hyundai Acquisition and Future Vision
- [15:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=943) Atlas Research and Partner Ecosystem
- [22:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=1321) Spot 2.1 Software and Gripper Updates
- [47:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=2853) DARPA Subterranean Challenge Overview
- [51:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=3102) Virtual Cave Circuit and Autonomy Lessons
- [1:10:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-12-16-boston-dynamics-talks-about-its-big-year-hyundai-acquisition#t=4218) Heterogeneous Teams and Future Challenges

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Hyundai Motor Group (company)
- Spot (product)
- Atlas (product)
- Handle (product)
- DARPA Subterranean Challenge (other)
- SoftBank (company)
- Trimble (company)
- Clear Path Robotics (company)
- Percepto (company)
- Agility Robotics (company)
- Waymo (company)
- Cruise (company)
- AutoX (company)
- Baidu (company)
- Starship Technologies (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Why “Spot” the Mobile Robot is Made for Manufacturing with Boston Dynamics’ Michael Perry](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2021-07-13-why-spot-the-mobile-robot-is-made-for-manufacturing-with-boston-dynamics-michael) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [191: The State of Robotics: Live From the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, MA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-06-25-191-the-state-of-robotics-live-from-the-2024-robotics-summit-expo-in-boston-ma) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Divya Thakur (Founder, Yardbot)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-05-06-divya-thakur-founder-yardbot) (Just Gonna Send It)
- [Episode 156: Rugged robots for dangerous missions - Gavin Kenneally](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-05-15-episode-156-rugged-robots-for-dangerous-missions-gavin-kenneally) (Robot Talk)
- [Episode 72: Smart mobile robots for industry - Rafael Lopez](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2024-02-09-episode-72-smart-mobile-robots-for-industry-rafael-lopez) (Robot Talk)

## Citing this page

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