Boston Dynamics, which has changed ownership three times in seven years, is pleased to present another AI institute today

According to IEEE Specturm, South Korean car company Hyundai and its robotics company Boston Dynamics have announced that they will jointly establish the BDAII (Boston Dynamics AI Institute) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The BDAII (Boston Dynamics AI Institute) will be established in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the goal of "leading the way in artificial intelligence and robotics".

Hyundai Motors became the parent company of Boston Dynamics in December 2020 when it acquired the company for $1 billion. Together, Hyundai and Boston Dynamics will provide more than $400 million (approximately R$2.7 billion) in start-up funding for the project. Marc Raibert, the founder of Boston Dynamics, is heading the project and Al Rizzi, Boston Dynamics' chief scientist, will be the chief technology officer.

No pressure to commercialise, institute to focus on cutting-edge robotics

According to IEEE Specturm, Boston Dynamics has shifted its focus to robotics for some reason over the past five years, hoping to build and commercialise robots with practical functions. This is the goal not only of Boston Dynamics, but of all companies involved in cutting-edge robotics. For the robotics industry to move forward, both cutting-edge and basic technologies are important, and both areas need to go hand in hand.

But commercialisation is not an easy goal, and until robotics companies can achieve it, they will probably build many robots that are not practical or acceptable to consumers, but this process is the way to get there.

Boston Dynamics hopes to commercialise by selling practical robots. IEEE Specturm says that while these studies do not currently have direct commercial value, they have great commercial potential and, in some ways, the technologies derived from these studies will be of great value in the future.

Academic research is an important driver for the creation of new robots. However, academic-focused robotics research often differs from commercial-focused robotics research. Academics often prioritise original research that can be funded by grants and can be published, while the commercial sector prioritises robotics research that can be financially rewarding. Neither of these situations is conducive to truly advancing the robotics research process.