Behind the scenes, Boston Dynamics' latest humanoid has been subtly becoming better, and in August, a video of the robot performing pushups gave us a quick preview of its capabilities.

Boston Dynamics quickly points out that there are no teleoperated or predefined movements involved; instead, the acts are being carried out independently. That warning seems to be a slight directed at prior humanoid robots demonstrations that have been deceptive in an attempt to garner attention online.

Two weeks after the Hyundai-owned robotics company announced a historic agreement with the Toyota Research Institute (TRI), the film was released. The extent to which the three-minute film is a result of that collaboration, which incorporates TRI's remark

able robotics learning and real-time modifications into the platform, is unclear.

According to Boston Dynamics, the robot uses a combination of vision, force, and proprioceptive sensors to identify and respond to environmental changes (like moving fixtures) and action failures (such as tripping, failing to place the cover, and environmental collisions).

Similar to rivals like Figure, Tesla, and Apptronik, Boston Dynamics first plans to use the bipedal robot in car plants. Since Hyundai, the company's current owner, has decided to collaborate with Toyota's research division, the focus makes a lot of sense. For many years, the automotive industry has likewise been well ahead of the Industrial automation curve.

As the robot rotates at its waist, the movie demonstrates remarkable adaptive—and powerful—actuators in addition to the autonomous robotics performed duties. By minimizing motions, the activity helps save valuable seconds.