Marc Raibert: Roboticist
Marc Raibert is the pioneering roboticist and founder of Boston Dynamics, transforming animal-inspired motion into the next generation of agile, intelligent robots.
- Highlights:
- Founder and former CEO of Boston Dynamics, creators of Spot and Atlas
- Pioneer of legged robotics and dynamic mobility research
- Former MIT and Carnegie Mellon professor, founder of the Leg Laboratory
- Member of the National Academy of Engineering
- Keynote speaker on robotics innovation, AI integration, and ethical automation
- Formats:
Keynote (45–60 minutes); fireside chat; executive innovation session
- Audiences:
Technology leaders, R&D teams, robotics and AI professionals, and innovation-focused organizations
- Outcomes:
- Understand how animal-inspired motion drives real-world robotic agility.
- Gain insights into the intersection of AI, robotics, and human adaptability.
- Learn how to build innovation cultures that translate research into breakthrough products.
- Travels from: Boston, MA
- **Fee range: $35,001 - $50,000
Keynote Topics
Talent Short Bio
Marc Raibert is the visionary founder of Boston Dynamics, renowned for creating the world’s most advanced and lifelike robots, including Spot, Atlas, and Stretch. Drawing inspiration from the agility and adaptability of animals, Raibert’s work bridges engineering, biomechanics, and artificial intelligence to produce machines capable of real-world mobility and dexterity.
Before launching Boston Dynamics in 1992, he was a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where he founded the influential Leg Laboratory. His research established the foundations for dynamic legged locomotion and continues to influence robotics, automation, and AI-driven design.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering since 2008, Raibert speaks globally about innovation, human–robot collaboration, and the future of robotics in society.
Read Full Bio
Marc Raibert spent 18 years as an academic researcher and tenured faculty at CalTech/JPL, Carnegie Mellon University, and MIT. He founded the Leg Laboratory, a lab that helped establish the scientific basis for highly dynamic robots and that set the stage for ground-breaking work on dynamic robots. He founded and spent 30 years leading Boston Dynamics, arguably the most influential pure-play robotics research organization in the world, having produced robots such as BigDog, Atlas and Stretch, and that now delivers Spot robots to users around the world. In 2020, Boston Dynamics was acquired by Hyundai Motor Group.
Currently, Marc Raibert is the Executive Director of The AI Institute, a new research lab focused on the most important problems in robotics and AI.
Marc Raibert is highly visible in the robotics community, having given numerous keynote lectures and interviews, including TED, 60 Minutes, Turing Institute, WebSummit, Wired 25, MARS, REMARS, and many others. Raibert is a Founding Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, was named a Pioneer in Robotics by IEEE in 2022, and received the Engelberger Award in 2022. Marce was included in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI. Two of Raibert’s robots were inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame.
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Talent Videos
Meet Spot, the Robot Dog That Can Run, Hop, and Open Doors | Marc Raibert (TED Talk)
Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert showcases Spot, the agile robot dog that demonstrates how lifelike motion and AI are revolutionizing robotics.
Read Summary & Key Moments
Summary
In this captivating TED talk, Marc Raibert introduces Spot, Boston Dynamics’ four-legged robot designed for agility, adaptability, and balance. Raibert begins by explaining his decades-long pursuit of dynamic mobility—robots that move not like machines, but like animals. Through a series of live demonstrations and video clips, he shows Spot walking, running, climbing stairs, and recovering from slips.
Raibert details how Boston Dynamics engineers modeled Spot’s movements on biological principles of coordination and reflex. Spot’s ability to handle uneven terrain, jump, or open doors arises from advanced control algorithms and real-time sensor feedback rather than pre-programmed paths. He also highlights the company’s humanoid robot Atlas, emphasizing how both machines push the limits of control systems and mechanical design.
Throughout the talk, Raibert shares his belief that motion fluid, natural, and responsive is the key to making robots useful in everyday life. He envisions robots that can work safely alongside humans in environments like factories, construction sites, and homes. Closing on an optimistic note, he stresses that lifelike motion is not just a mechanical feat—it’s the foundation for the next generation of intelligent, mobile machines.
Key Moments
- 01:16–03:00 — Early experiments in balance and legged locomotion
- 03:01–05:10 — Meet Spot: design, sensors, and agile motion
- 05:11–07:45 — Demonstrations of Spot running, climbing, and recovering from impact
- 07:46–09:30 — Control algorithms and real-time coordination explained
- 09:31–11:10 — Introducing Atlas: pushing humanlike agility
- 11:11–13:00 — Real-world applications and safety collaboration
d!talk Keynote Marc Raibert, Boston Dynamics, LIVE Robotic Show
Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert delivers a dynamic live keynote featuring real-time demonstrations of robots like Spot and Atlas, exploring agility, balance, and AI innovation.
Read Summary & Key Moments
Summary
In this extended keynote from d!talk, Marc Raibert takes the audience behind the scenes of Boston Dynamics’ groundbreaking robotic innovations. The session combines live robot demonstrations with technical insights and forward-looking commentary on the future of intelligent machines.
Raibert begins by describing Boston Dynamics’ core mission—to build robots that move with the agility and versatility of living creatures. He introduces Spot, the four-legged robot designed for practical field operations, and showcases how it navigates uneven terrain, opens doors, and performs synchronized tasks autonomously. The audience witnesses live choreography sequences that display precision control, balance recovery, and responsive AI behavior.
Transitioning to Atlas, Raibert demonstrates humanlike mobility—running, jumping, and performing complex parkour movements. He explains how decades of research in balance, perception, and mechanical design culminated in robots capable of physical intelligence. Raibert emphasizes that mobility is not an end in itself but a foundation for utility—robots that can work alongside humans in logistics, inspection, and manufacturing.
In the closing segment, Raibert reflects on the broader vision of the Boston Dynamics AI Institute, where future research aims to merge physical dexterity with reasoning and adaptability. The keynote leaves audiences inspired by how robotic agility, once a scientific dream, is now shaping the real world.
Key Moments
- 00:00–02:10 — Introduction and Boston Dynamics mission
- 02:11–06:30 — Spot demonstration: walking, balancing, and terrain navigation
- 06:31–10:00 — Team coordination and robot-human interaction
- 10:01–14:20 — Atlas showcase: parkour and dynamic control systems
- 14:21–18:00 — Behind-the-scenes engineering and software integration
- 18:01–22:45 — Real-world applications: logistics, construction, inspection
- 22:46–27:10 — The Boston Dynamics AI Institute: merging motion with intelligence
- 27:11–30:00 — Reflections on design philosophy and future challenges
- 30:01–31:26 — Closing remarks and live robot choreography finale
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