Form & Function of Enterprise Humanoid Design

The production version of Atlas is a departure from the typical humanoid form factor, favoring industrial utility over human likeness. Intended for purposeful work in an industrial setting, Atlas has a form factor that signals its role as a machine rather than a companion or friendly assistant. Join two lead hardware engineers and our head of industrial design for a technical discussion of how key product requirements, ranging from passive thermal management to a modular architecture, dictated a bold new vision for a humanoid.

In this webinar, you’ll discover:

Actuator strategy: How reuse of more powerful actuators facilitated modularity while boosting performance and enabling continuous rotation.
Safety philosophy: Eliminating pinch points and integrating padding protects both the robot and the people around it and influenced the aesthetic.
Passive thermal approach: How removing fans, relying on natural convection, became not just a functional but a major cosmetic component of Atlas.
Head design: UX around the light ring and the aim to maximize perception came to define the most recognizable part of the robot.

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About the Presenters

Chris Thorne

Director - Hardware Innovation

Chris leads the hardware design and development of Atlas, combining technical excellence with cutting-edge technologies to bring one of the world’s most recognizable robots to life. With 15 years of experience at Boston Dynamics, he has been a key contributor to projects including Sandflea, Wildcat, and Stretch, and brings to his work deep knowledge of the company and its mission. Chris received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he conducted modular robotics and micro air vehicle research at the GRASP Robotics Laboratory.

Aaron Abroff

Head of Industrial Design

Aaron leads the industrial design group, working closely with the hardware teams to develop the visual and functional design of market ready products. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, with over 30 years of experience bringing form and definition to new technologies. Aaron’s design agency background began with high stakes usability and ergonomics for Bay Area medtech startups and industry giants like Medtronic, Abbott, and Siemens, eventually shifting focus to product innovation for consumer and B2B companies. In his time working with Boston Dynamics, Aaron has led the industrial design of the Spot, Stretch, and Atlas products.

James Cuseo

Technical Director - Compute and Sensing

James is a seasoned engineering executive with over two decades of experience defining and delivering iconic hardware products. An MIT alumnus, his career has taken him from automotive and motorsports to consumer electronics, additive manufacturing, and now robotics. Most notably, Jim spent more than 10 years at Apple, rising to Director of Mac Product Design, where he oversaw the development of multiple Apple computer product lines. Through his career he has leveraged his expertise in scaling operations and complex product development to help companies optimize their engineering leadership and bring breakthrough technologies to market.