Boston Dynamics founder opens mall robotics exhibit to combat Terminator-like AI fears

Marc Raibert, the 75-year-old founder of Boston Dynamics, has opened a pop-up robotics exhibit at CambridgeSide mall in Cambridge, allowing visitors to interact with robots including the company’s famous Spot robot. The free exhibit, which ran through August 15, represents Raibert’s effort to counter negative Hollywood stereotypes about robots while showcasing work from his new Hyundai-funded research institute focused on integrating generative AI with robotics.

What you should know: Raibert now leads the Robotics and AI Institute in Kendall Square, which opened in 2022 with 260 employees working on advanced robotics challenges.

• The institute is developing an “ultra mobile vehicle” that resembles a dirt bike and can navigate autonomously without GPS while jumping obstacles.
• Another project called “Watch, Understand, Do” aims to train robots by having them observe humans performing complex tasks like bicycle repair.
• The research sits between academic work and commercial applications, helping maintain Massachusetts as “the hub of robotics,” according to Tom Ryden, executive director of Mass Robotics, a Boston nonprofit.

The big picture: The exhibit features Raibert’s early robot prototypes alongside Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot and a custom Spot robot decorated in the institute’s signature purple and green Hawaiian patterns.

• Visitors can control Spot using buttons to make it walk over obstacles and perform tricks, with more than 1,000 people visiting weekly according to staff.
• The setup was designed to combat negative robot stereotypes from movies and TV shows like Terminator and Westworld.

What they’re saying: Raibert emphasized the positive public reaction to his robots over the years.

• “Hollywood has a narrow take on it,” he said. “We’ve never had anybody go running out because they were afraid of it, even though that’s sort of the standard storyline out there.”
• On the future of humanoid robots, Raibert offered a measured perspective: “It’ll be in factories first, I don’t think it’ll be in homes for a while.”
• “What really makes a thing human-like is its intelligence, its perception, its ability to understand the world around it,” he explained, suggesting future robots may have varied forms beyond the traditional humanoid shape.

Why this matters: While companies like Tesla push ambitious claims about billions of household robots, Raibert’s approach focuses on practical applications and public education about robotics potential.

• Martin Allen, a visiting computer science student from Scotland, captured the exhibit’s impact: “He’s really cool, it’s so awesome.”
• The exhibit drew visitors of all ages, with one woman even dancing alongside the four-legged robot, demonstrating Raibert’s goal of creating “future generations of robot lovers.”