Boston Dynamics brings its legged robots to the FIFA World Cup
Atlas demonstrates the deceptive Ghost Rabona kick. Source: Hyundai The FIFA World Cup is not only a showcase for global athletic competition and camaraderie; it’s also an opportunity for leading legged robots to strut their stuff. Boston Dynamics Inc. has taught its Atlas humanoid to kick a soccer ball while its Spot robots support security operations at tournament venues. Hyundai Motor Co., which acquired Boston Dynamics in 2021, has expanded its 27-year partnership with FIFA World Cup.
Boston Dynamics has brought its legged robots to the FIFA World Cup, with its Atlas humanoid demonstrating soccer trick shots and its Spot quadruped supporting security operations at tournament venues. Atlas was trained using reinforcement learning and motion capture data to perform complex moves like the "Ghost Rabona" kick, which proved more challenging than previous athletic maneuvers because it required interaction with an object and the ground. Spot is patrolling stadium perimeters equipped with cameras and thermal imaging to detect hazards and suspicious packages, operating either autonomously or through remote control. The company framed the World Cup participation as both a demonstration of robot capabilities and an opportunity to make the public more comfortable with robots, while acknowledging that current technology remains far from what human soccer players can accomplish.
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