Prasad, a longtime Boston-area AI executive, takes over Oct. 7 as the robotics company moves to scale AI-enabled machines across industrial applications.

Boston Dynamics has appointed former Amazon executive Rohit Prasad as chief executive officer, effective Oct. 7, putting an AI executive with experience in foundation models and machine learning at the helm as the robotics company moves toward broader commercialization.

Hyundai Motor Group-owned 

The company said Prasad will focus on turning its robotic systems into products for industrial and commercial settings, with the goal of improving safety, productivity and operational efficiency. Its strategy centers on Physical AI, which combines robotics, artificial intelligence and physical-world interaction.

Boston Dynamics makes three robots: Spot, a quadruped for industrial inspections; Stretch, a box-moving robot for logistics and retail customers; and Atlas, a humanoid robot being developed for manufacturing applications. 

Prasad brings experience from Amazon and Raytheon BBN

Prasad spent more than 12 years at Amazon, where he served as senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence. He most recently led development of Amazon Nova, the company’s family of foundation models.

Before joining Amazon, Prasad spent nearly 14 years at Raytheon BBN Technologies, where he led machine-learning research for government and commercial applications. He has lived and worked in the Boston area for more than 25 years.

Prasad said Boston Dynamics can build intelligent systems for real-world environments by combining advances in AI with its robotics expertise.

Jaehoon Chang, vice chair of Hyundai Motor Group, chairs the company's board. He said Prasad's ability to turn AI into products at global scale and Hyundai's manufacturing, logistics and mobility capabilities give the company a foundation to build and scale Physical AI.

Atlas becomes a focus of Hyundai’s robotics strategy

The leadership change comes as Boston Dynamics and Hyundai move to test Atlas in manufacturing environments and establish a path toward commercial deployment.

Boston Dynamics opened the Robotics Metaplant Application Center, or RMAC, at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America near Savannah, Georgia, on Sept. 21. The facility is designed to train and validate Atlas for manufacturing tasks, including preparing and sequencing automotive parts.

The company said the center will also evaluate potential Atlas applications in manufacturing, aerospace, semiconductors, logistics, food and beverage, and life sciences. The first phase of the facility is operational.

Hyundai said in January that it plans to begin deploying Atlas at its Georgia manufacturing operations in 2028, initially for parts-sequencing tasks. The company expects applications to expand as individual processes are validated for safety and quality, with component assembly targeted by 2030.

Hyundai has also said it plans to establish a U.S. robotics manufacturing facility capable of producing up to 30,000 robots annually by 2028.

Robert Playter stepped down in February

Playter, the former CEO, announced in a staff memo on Feb. 10 that he was stepping down, with his departure from the company set for Feb. 27.

Chief Financial Officer Amanda McMaster, who has held that post since February 2020, has served as interim CEO since then. The board led the search for a successor.

The company has not said what role McMaster will have after Prasad starts.

Prasad expected to join board

Prasad is expected to join the company's board of directors, subject to the relevant approval process. The company hasn’t confirmed when the approval process will be completed.