Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamics | Machina Summit 2026

In this interview from the Machina AI Summit 2026 in Paris, France, Amanda McMaster, interim chief executive officer of Boston Dynamics, joins theCUBE's John Furrier to discuss how physical AI is accelerating from research demos into enterprise deployment. McMaster details the company's landmark decision to commercialize Atlas, its humanoid robot, transitioning from hydraulic to electric actuation and pairing that shift with AI to meet surging market demand. She explains how AI has compressed behavior authoring from roughly a year to just a few hours, with close to 99% reliability — a step-change that is unlocking new classes of real-world applications at a pace the industry has never seen before. The conversation also explores how Spot, Boston Dynamics' quadruped robot, is already delivering value in industrial settings through visual, thermal and acoustic inspection — replacing manual walkthroughs and catching anomalies without requiring facilities to undergo costly retrofits. McMaster outlines a two-pronged AI strategy that combines internal development with partnerships with leaders such as Google DeepMind, targeting sub-two-year ROI payback for customers. She details a "data bank" concept designed to help enterprises make sense of the operational data robots collect over time, laying the groundwork for a platform ecosystem built on top of Boston Dynamics hardware. Backed by Hyundai's vertically integrated supply chain and a new manufacturing facility in Savannah, Georgia with capacity for up to 30,000 robots per year, McMaster makes the case that 2027 could be the breakout year for physical AI — and that robotics IPOs may not be far behind. Find more SiliconANGLE news and analysis https://siliconangle.com/ Follow theCUBE's wall-to-wall event coverage https://siliconangle.com/events/ Learn about the latest theCUBE events https://www.thecube.net/ 00:00 - The RAISE Summit: Unveiling Robotics Innovations and Market Dynamics 02:24 - Integrating AI and Innovation in Robotics 04:48 - Spot Robot: Innovations and Emerging Opportunities 08:28 - Strategic Growth and Impact of AI-Driven Robotics 11:07 - Strategic Leadership in Manufacturing and Supply Chains 13:58 - Navigating Innovation and Future Market Opportunities #theCUBE #Machina #theCUBEresearch #BostonDynamics #PhysicalAI #Robotics