Google DeepMind Hires Former CTO of Boston Dynamics as the Company Pushes Deeper Into Robotics

TL;DR

Google DeepMind hired Aaron Saunders, former CTO of Boston Dynamics, as VP of hardware engineering.
The hire supports CEO Demis Hassabis' vision of Gemini as a universal AI system for robots, akin to Android.
DeepMind aims to develop AI models to control various robotic hardware systems, including humanoids and non-humanoids.
Boston Dynamics is known for its advanced legged robots and acrobatic humanoid machines.
Saunders previously worked on an amphibious six-legged prototype at Boston Dynamics.
Boston Dynamics is currently majority-owned by Hyundai Motor Company.
Other companies like Agility Robotics, Figure AI, 1x, Tesla, and Chinese startups like Unitree are also active in humanoid and legged robot development.
Hassabis is focused on the AI 'brain' aspect and sees Gemini's multimodal capabilities as ideal for robotics.