Boston Dynamics Vice President Brendan Schulman said the U.S. needs a coordinated robotics strategy to remain competitive against China and Japan.
This push for a national framework comes as humanoid robots move from research labs into industrial applications. A lack of cohesive policy could hinder the ability of U.S. firms to scale technology and maintain a lead in global automation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Tokyo Humanoids Summit on May 29, 2026, Schulman said how the U.S. government and private firms should approach the development of robotics technology. He said that the company intends to help shape this policy through a private think-tank.
The urgency for a strategic approach is underscored by the rapid scaling of humanoid hardware. Hyundai plans to deploy 25,000 [1] Atlas humanoid robots in U.S. plants as part of its operational goals. The company further aims to expand its U.S. production capacity to 30,000 [2] Atlas robots by 2028.
Schulman said that the competition involves not only the U.S. and China but also Japan, where the summit took place. The coordination of government policy and private sector innovation is viewed as essential for securing the technological pipeline.
While some reports focus primarily on the rivalry with China, Schulman's perspective emphasizes a broader international landscape. The integration of thousands of robots into the domestic workforce represents a shift toward large-scale industrial automation that requires regulatory and strategic oversight.
“The U.S. needs a coordinated robotics strategy to remain competitive against China and Japan.”
The shift from experimental robotics to the deployment of tens of thousands of units suggests that robotics is moving into a critical infrastructure phase. By advocating for a coordinated national strategy, Boston Dynamics is signaling that market forces alone may be insufficient to counter the state-backed robotics initiatives of geopolitical rivals.
