X

Boston Dynamics robot has been put to work by Otto Motors

The teams are working together to show the efficiency of robots in a warehouse.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Abrar Al-Heeti
handle-photo2-full

In a new video, Boston Dynamics' Handle robot is shown working with Otto's mobile robot in a warehouse.

Boston Dynamics

Boston Dynamics said on Tuesday it's partnering with Otto Motors to demonstrate the efficiency of robots in a warehouse. The groups demonstrated the "future of warehouse automation" in a video posted to YouTube.

Otto's autonomous mobile robots are working with Boston Dynamics' Handle to show how a robot team can be quick and efficient in a warehouse environment. In the video, Handle is seen picking up and stacking boxes onto Otto's bot, which then carries them across the warehouse. 

It may not be that safe for humans to work closely around Handle as it moves around a warehouse, which is where Otto's mobile robots could come in handy. 

"We've built a proof of concept demonstration of a heterogeneous fleet of robots building distribution center orders to provide a more flexible warehouse automation solution," Kevin Blankespoor, Boston Dynamics vice president of product engineering, said in a statement. "To meet the rates that our customers expect, we're continuing to expand Handle's capabilities and optimizing its interactions with other robots like the OTTO 1500 for warehouse applications."