Boston Dynamics ATLAS Leaks FIFA 2026 AI Hardware？ ($30,000 HUMANOID)

Should humanoids be faster and more adaptive than humans? Today on AI News, we'll cover several new humanoid breakthroughs starting with Atlas from Boston Dynamics and the question of whether or not robots should have shoes. So, if you've done physical labor all day, you'll know how important good footwear is, and Boston Dynamics says that it's the same for Atlas. In fact, Atlas's foot is its primary point of contact with the world, which is why Boston Dynamics just revamped its entire design with its newest generation of robot. And I'll show you some brand new clips of what it can do in just a moment. But first, Atlas's new outsole features a specialized, bi-directional tread that displaces sand or liquid to maximize consistent ground contact and traction. And to achieve this, its foot uses a specific geometry at both its heel and toe for natural walking motion, all while being completely symmetrical. And the result here is that when these bi-directional feet are paired with Atlas's backward-bending knees, the design allows the robot to walk forward or backward with equal effort, which eliminates the need to turn around entirely. Furthermore, the added bonus is that this symmetry also simplifies Atlas's manufacturing and maintenance, because the same part functions interchangeably on either leg, with no distinction between a right or left foot. And as Atlas takes on more real-world tasks, Boston Dynamics continues to gather data from human demos to optimize its designs and build the best possible foot for the job. So now for what it can do. To train its newest, most advanced capabilities, Boston Dynamics used the biomechanics of top football players and translated their movement patterns into trainable simulation data all before Atlas attempted them in the real world. And pushing Atlas to perform unprecedented motions like this is the best way to prepare for the future of robotics, because from kicking a ball, Atlas actually learns timing, force generation, and coordination, while complex kicks can teach it rotational movement, weight transfer, and full body control. And these capabilities extend far beyond sports, because they also help Atlas to navigate complex environments, but it required developing entirely new tools and strategies to unlock the physical hardware's potential. Because a simple task for humans is still highly difficult for a humanoid, because it has to locate the ball, move towards it, and execute the kick simultaneously. But another company named MirrorMe is also leaning into this football angle, but instead it's showing its robot doing soccer juggling. And on top of that, it's also able to achieve a speed of 10 meters per second, which is equivalent to about 36 kilometers per hour, or 22 miles per hour, which is almost as fast as the world's fastest runner, Usain Bolt. And this robot stands at 175 centimeters, or 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighs 75 kilograms, or about 165 pounds. And the robot is named Bolt, and MirrorMe says that it's embodying the ideal form for a humanoid robot. But comment down below whether or not you think that these robots should be able to run as fast as humans, or if there should be a speed limit for the sake of safety. But embodied AI isn't just about marketing, as Menti just revealed a demo of its robot doing something genuinely useful. And it's one of the only few companies in the world that manufactures its own hands, as well as its own actuators. So these set of hands are fully backdrivable, featuring native haptic feedback, and the ability to sense what's happening. Plus, the robot's design is strong, scalable, and easily maintainable. And it's capable of performing all the basic elements of gripping, as well as other sets of tasks. For example, MentiBot is already deployed in mobile offices to serve coffee to employees. And Mobileye is acquiring MentiBot for 900 million dollars, with plans to release the MentiBot to the for a cost of about 20,000 US dollars per robot sometime in 2028. But comment down below if you think that this robot will still be competitive at that price by then. Because FIGURES CEO Brett Adcock says that just two years ago, the company only had two robots, but now they have so many that they actually need storage. And FIGURES says that it's increased humanoid robot production from one robot per day to one robot per hour in just 120 days. And these FIGUR3 robots all undergo intensive testing, including repeated squats and jogging movements. And FIGURES also just demonstrated the robot's ability to climb stairs and navigate terrain using its vision-based control. With some people likening its design to the feel of Apple. And just to note, FIGURES' price target for the F-03 is about $20,000 to $25,000. And they're already making so much progress in terms of their production, it could be as soon as the end of this year. So which of these robots do you think would be the best bang for your buck? And while humanoids are mastering the physical world, the virtual world is facing severe regulatory crackdown, as Anthropic just hit a massive roadblock right before its trillion dollar IPO. Because the US government just issued an unprecedented national security directive that forced them to immediately suspend access to both Fable 5 and Mythos 5 globally. And the reason for this sudden export control order stems from the potential jailbreak vulnerability that the White House alleged, which could bypass both models In fact, Anthropic is fighting back against the commercial recall, arguing that the exploit is narrow, benign, and easily replicated by competing models like OpenAI's GPT-5.5, with Anthropic contending that pulling an entire model line over an unproven exploit sets a dangerous precedent that could freeze the entire AI industry. So is this really a security concern, or a punishment stemming from Anthropic refusing to allow the United States to use its models for military planning and intelligence? And finally, here's a video of Kepler's K2 Bumblebee humanoid doing eight hours of workouts on one charge, starting with rowing of 35 kilogram loads, which is 77 pounds. And it did this on one charge, and here you can see it compared to other robots, lifting about 10 times the weight. Next, it does a 30 kilogram load of dual arm dumbbell curls, using its self-developed planetary roller screw actuators, with a peak load of up to 8200 newtons. And 30 kilograms is equal to about 66 pounds. Remember, this robot features 52 degrees of and weighs 75 kilograms. And here it is using its maximum strength. This is 25 kilogram load, and it's doing four sets, eight reps of decline chest flies. So comment down below, what other things do you think that these types of movements could be useful for in the real world? And do you think that this robot would be worth its intended roughly $30,000 price tag? Anyways, like and subscribe, and check out this video here for more of the latest in AI and robotics news, and thanks for watching.