Our robots are made for work, not 'kung fu,' says Boston Dynamics' head humanoid developer

Zack Jackowski, head of humanoid development at Boston Dynamics, highlighted the technological edge of their robots over Chinese counterparts that focus on flashy “kung fu” moves, dismissing such displays as lacking practical and economic value.

Zachary Jackowski, left, head of humanoid development at Boston Dynamics, and Oh Se-uk, head of the Robotics Business Innovation Group at Hyundai Mobis, take a photo with the Atlas humanoid robot after an interview with the Korean press on the sidelines of CES 2026 in Las Vegas on Jan. 7. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

[INTERVIEW] LAS VEGAS — Zachary Jackowski, head of humanoid development at Boston Dynamics, highlighted the technological edge of their robots over Chinese counterparts that focus on flashy “kung fu” moves, dismissing such displays as lacking practical and economic value.

His remarks directly rebut market skepticism over the delayed launch of its Atlas humanoid compared to Chinese rivals amid a surge of robot unveilings by Chinese front-runners such as Unitree Robotics and UBTech Robotics at this year’s CES in Las Vegas.

Boston Dynamics, which is 90 percent owned by Hyundai Motor Group, unveiled Atlas for the first time at CES 2026 and announced plans to deploy it at a Hyundai factory in 2028.

“When you think about value, it’s one thing to have a robot that can walk around or do kung fu moves. It’s an entirely different thing to have a robot capable of complex manipulation tasks that actually bring value to customers,” Jackowski said.

“That’s where Boston Dynamics is already leading, and we will continue to double down on bringing the most value with the highest capabilities in real applications for humanoids,” he added. “We're very focused on leading the market not only in robot performance but also on delivering a robot that provides the most value to customers.

Oh Se-uk, head of the Robotics Business Innovation Group at Hyundai Mobis, agreed with Jackowski, pinpointing the lack of technical prowess of Chinese firms.

“Chinese companies focus more on imitating human behavior,” Oh said. “Boston Dynamics is designed to outperform humans on actual production lines. That gap is what you need to understand.”

Hyundai Mobis, a parts affiliate of Hyundai, has been selected as the major supplier of actuators for Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot production, making it one of the biggest beneficiaries of Hyundai’s expanded robot strategies. Actuators, which turn energy into physical force, account for about 50 to 60 percent of a robot's cost.

Hyundai Motor is planning a U.S. factory with an annual capacity of 30,000 units, targeting mass production by 2028.

“We believe our experience developing core automotive parts gives us a competitive edge since many components are similar to those used in robots,” Oh said.

“The electric power steering we currently mass-produce has a similar structure. We are developing ultracompact, high-density actuators for robots based on that technology, including motors and reducers,” he added. “We are also hiring specialists because Boston Dynamics’ products require high-performance, high-spec parts.”

Oh hinted that Mobis could enter the gripper market after actuators.

“We also consider sensors such as batteries, radar and LiDAR — which we already secure for autonomous driving — as core components for robots,” Oh said.

Prototype production of the actuators is scheduled for midyear at Hyundai Mobis’s R&D center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi. Mass production is expected to focus near Boston Dynamics’ factory, likely in Georgia, where Hyundai has a massive EV plant.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]