Boston Dynamics

Stretch

Commercially Available

Mobile warehouse robot purpose-built for unloading floor-loaded trailers and containers. Features a mobile base, perception system, and a custom arm/gripper to handle boxes up to 50 lbs. Designed to work in existing warehouse infrastructure without modifications.

Latest update Aug 6, 2026

Stretch

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Current status

Commercial deployments continue across logistics and retail customers including Otto Group, DHL Supply Chain, Gap, H&M, Maersk, and NFI. DHL signed an MOU in May 2025 to deploy more than 1,000 additional Stretch units by 2030, and separately committed to invest $15M to further automate its North American warehousing via Boston Dynamics; Lidl announced in December 2025 it is rolling out 22 Stretch units by mid-2026 for regular import-warehouse operations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Spain.

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Specifications4

Throughput
Up to 700 cases/hour observed at DHL
Package Handling
Up to 50 lb cases
DHL Commitment
1,000+ additional units by 2030

(MOU), plus a separate $15M investment to automate DHL Supply Chain's North American warehousing

Deployment Time
Up and running in days from delivery

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Upcoming milestones4

Announced next steps from Boston Dynamics that mention Stretch.

  1. 2026

    Expand Spot with FieldAI in dynamic sites

    Build on the March 2026 FieldAI partnership: expand Spot deployments across construction and other changing environments using Field Foundation Models for autonomous inspections, mapping, and monitoring in less structured sites, with Stretch and the electric Atlas named as the next platforms to integrate FieldAI. A February 2026 Boston Dynamics case study reported that construction customers using FieldAI-equipped Spot deployments across Asia, Europe, and North America cut inspection and documentation time by more than 90%. As of September 12, 2026 no new deployment figures or Stretch/Atlas FieldAI integration have been announced.

  2. 2026-2030

    Scale the DHL and Lidl Stretch programs

    Convert DHL's 1,000-unit MOU (plus its separate $15M North American automation investment) and Lidl's Netherlands/Belgium/Austria/Spain rollout into delivered fleets, while widening Stretch's case-picking capabilities beyond container/trailer unloading. Lidl's December 2025 plan called for integrating Stretch into regular import-warehouse operations in the Netherlands and Belgium by May 2026, and into Austria and Spain as a standard solution by mid-2026. As of September 12, 2026 neither Lidl nor Boston Dynamics has published confirmation that those mid-2026 country rollouts are complete, and no new DHL or Lidl unit commitment has been reported.

  3. 2026-2028

    Broaden Hyundai deployment programs and build the Atlas factory

    Turn Hyundai's $26B U.S. investment plan - which funds a robotics factory targeting 30,000 Atlas units/year by 2028 and Atlas deployment at Hyundai's Georgia Metaplant (sequencing first from 2028, assembly by 2030) - into broader Spot, Stretch, and Atlas deployment across manufacturing and logistics programs. At Hyundai Motor's August 26, 2026 CEO Investor Day, the company reaffirmed 2028 U.S. robot production at 30,000 units a year, said an initial committed volume of 25,000 units is already confirmed, and said the factory site will be announced by year-end, with Atlas first deployed at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America from 2028. The 25,000+ unit Hyundai/Kia deployment plan drew escalating labor pushback in Korea through most of August 2026: after strikes in July and a fourth round of partial stoppages running August 12-16 pushed cumulative Hyundai Motor production losses to an estimated 42,510+ vehicles and roughly $1.3B in lost revenue, Hyundai's union staged a full-day walkout on August 21 (its first in a decade) before a 17th round of negotiations produced a tentative wage agreement on August 24-25: a 100,000-won (~$72) monthly base increase, a performance bonus of more than 400% of monthly salary, a separate 12.5-million-won lump-sum payment, an extended retirement age, and a commitment to hire 500 new technical workers in 2027-2028. Union members ratified the deal on August 31, 2026 with 61.55% approval (78.63% turnout), ending the 117-day dispute; Hyundai has maintained throughout that the 2028 Atlas plan is not formally part of the wage talks.

  4. By 2030

    Launch a third robot platform this decade

    Develop and launch a new robot platform beyond the current Atlas, Spot, and Stretch lineup. Interim CEO Amanda McMaster tied the mid-July 2026 $100M Waltham robotics and AI center expansion - with phased move-in from mid-2027 - to giving the team the space and resources to launch its 'third robot platform this decade,' the company's clearest public signal yet of a new commercial product line in development. No platform name, category, or date had been disclosed as of late August 2026.

  1. Boston Dynamics backs Dynamic Creatures entertainment robots

    Dynamic Creatures emerged from stealth on September 8, 2026 as Boston Dynamics' official partner for mobile interactive character robots in hospitality and entertainment. The Boston company said it is already working with an unnamed theme park and a retailer, and interim Boston Dynamics CEO Amanda McMaster called the effort a new frontier for advanced robotics. It is a guest-facing character line, not a new industrial Atlas, Spot, or Stretch product.

    GlobeNewswire Boston.com

  2. Hyundai sets 2028 U.S. robot factory for Atlas

    At Hyundai Motor's August 26 CEO Investor Day, the company said U.S. robot production will begin in 2028 with 30,000 units of annual capacity for Spot, Stretch and Atlas, and that it aims to deploy Atlas at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America from 2028. CEO Jose Munoz called it the world's first large-scale commercial robot manufacturing facility and said an initial committed volume of 25,000 units is already confirmed, with the production site to be announced by year-end. The Robot Metaplant Application Center opened in the United States in June and is slated to expand ten-fold by the end of 2026.

    Hyundai Motor The Herald Business

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