Atlas Robotics: From Gymnastics to Boston Dynamics | Movement & Policy

Boston Dynamics has appointed Scott Kuindersma as vice president of robotics research, the company announced Wednesday. Kuindersma, previously a lead developer of complex movements for the Atlas humanoid robot, will oversee the company’s ongoing efforts to build robots capable of real-world industrial tasks.

Kuindersma led the behavior development on Atlas, including demonstrations of gymnastics, parkour, dance, and manipulation, according to a statement released by Boston Dynamics. His appointment signals a continued focus on advanced locomotion and dexterity for the company’s flagship humanoid platform.

Prior to joining Boston Dynamics, Kuindersma was an assistant professor at Harvard University, where he ran a robotics lab and taught courses in artificial intelligence and optimization. He earned his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, focusing on policy learning for robots, working with Andy Barto and Rod Grupen. His doctoral work preceded a postdoctoral position at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), where he served as the controls lead for the MIT DARPA Robotics Challenge team.

Research at UMass Amherst has demonstrated the potential of self-organizing robot teams to outperform pre-programmed or centrally directed systems in industrial settings, a field Kuindersma contributed to during his studies. A 2024 study from the university found that robots programmed to voluntarily wait for teammates could complete tasks more efficiently. This research was recognized as a finalist for Best Paper Award on Multi-Robot Systems at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Atlas, Boston Dynamics’ enterprise humanoid robot, is designed for material handling and intelligent automation. In May 2025, the robot demonstrated improved perception capabilities, according to IEEE Spectrum. Kuindersma’s work at Boston Dynamics centers on reinforcement learning and foundation models for humanoids, aiming to enhance the robot’s ability to navigate and interact with complex environments.

Boston Dynamics has not yet announced specific projects Kuindersma will lead in his new role, but the company continues to develop Atlas for deployment in industrial settings.