--- title: "Boston Dynamics Shows Off New Warehouse Robot" description: "Robot creator Boston Dynamics has released its next dastardly take on God's creations: the \"Stretch,\" forever destined to stack boxes in warehouses." date: "2021-03-29" modified: "2021-03-29" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boston-dynamics-new-robot-stretch" categories: - "Boston Dynamics" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "boston dynamics" - "robots" - "the digest" --- # Boston Dynamics Shows Off New Warehouse Robot ![Robot creator Boston Dynamics has released its next dastardly take on God's creations: the "Stretch," forever destined to stack boxes in warehouses.]() *\Image: Boston Dynamics\* ## Big Stretch Robot creator [Boston Dynamics]() has released its next ominous creation: the ["Stretch."]() This robot isn't destined to frolic in fields, like [some of its brethren](). Stretch has a far more mundane job, requiring it to spend much of its life indoors. As its name implies, the robot has one giant arm and is "designed to automate box moving tasks in warehouses and distribution centers," according to the company — up to 800 boxes an hour, which is about the rate of a human, [*The Verge* reports](). In its video announcement, Stretch even gets to unwrap its first present in the form of a small Boston Dynamics Spot, the [company's famed four-legged robot dog](). https://youtu.be/yYUuWWnfRsk ## Firm Grasp "Stretch’s mobile base allows it to go to where repetitive box lifting is required — unloading trucks, building pallets of boxes and order building," Boston Dynamics wrote. "Stretch makes warehouse operations more efficient and safer for workers." The company promises that thanks to its "Perception Mast," Stretch is able to quickly and accurately move boxes around. The arm can easily reach through a truck or past a pallet thanks to its seven degrees of freedom. A gripper at the end of said arm creates a vacuum to pick up virtually any box up to 23 kilos (50 pounds) in weight — and as long as its lid can support its own weight and is perfectly flat. ## Truck Unloader A mobile base allows it to move in virtually any direction and even navigate "obstacles and ramps," according to the company. That also means it can be deployed practically anywhere. "You can take this capability and you can move it into the back of the truck, you can move it into aisles, you can move it next to your conveyors. It all depends what the problem of the day is," Boston Dynamics’ VP of business development Michael Perry told *The Verge.* Let's just hope it never has to move a tennis racket or marbles. **READ MORE:** [Boston Dynamics unveils Stretch: a new robot designed to move boxes in warehouses]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Boston Dynamics:** *[There’s a Robodog Walking Around the Site of the SpaceX Starship Explosion]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()