For decades, the idea of humanoid robots working alongside people is one that has lived mostly in the minds of robotics developers and researchers. But during a recent Boston Dynamics webinar, company officials said that reality is getting noticeably closer. According to presenters Aya Durbin, the company’s humanoid application product lead, and Alberto Rodriguez, director of robot behavior for Boston Dynamics’ Atlas program, general-purpose robots are now approaching levels of capability that could make them viable assistants in manufacturing.
The company based its webinar discussion around why humanoids are gaining traction. In the promotional materials for the session, officials said humanoids “have long captured our imagination,” adding that interest has risen sharply, along with “the perception that robots are getting closer to taking on a wide range of labor.” That context set the tone for a conversation about how industries involving product and material variation, customization and physical labor could benefit from an extra set of robotic hands.
Durbin said one of the primary reasons manufacturers are paying attention to her company’s developments is the need for adaptable automation. Factories increasingly require equipment that can handle variety, not just repetitive, individual tasks, she said.
“Humans are adaptable, quick to learn, and effortlessly re-taskable,” she added, emphasizing that these traits have historically been difficult to replicate in automation. Many plants operate in environments where material types, part sizes and production sequences shift frequently, she said. In those cases, according to Durbin, humanoid robots offer a potential bridge between traditional robotics and human workers. Their form factor, she said, “fits naturally into environments designed for people,” enabling manufacturers to deploy automation without having to redesign entire lines around constraints. While conventional automation excels at precise, repetitive motions, it can struggle under variation—something fenestration plants encounter daily when handling glass, vinyl, wood components or alternating IG configurations.
Rodriguez said that Boston Dynamics is actively reshaping the mission of its Atlas humanoid. While Atlas has been known publicly for its acrobatics, running and mobility demonstrations, he said the team is now focused on manufacturing-related capabilities.
“The question is no longer whether a humanoid can move like a person,” he said. “The question is how it can interact with tools, materials and workflows the way people do.”
Enabling that type of interaction is essential to making Atlas useful on the factory floor, he suggested.
Potential Applications for Fenestration
Durbin and Rodriguez did not reference door or window manufacturers, but both speakers highlighted categories of work that apply directly to fenestration. Durbin said humanoids could help relieve pressure in physically demanding or ergonomically challenging tasks.
“We often see opportunities where robots can reduce repetitive or physically taxing jobs,” she said.
In door and window plants, such tasks include glass handling, sash manipulation, loading and unloading IGU components, sealant preparation, dynamic material movement, palletizing and certain forms of inspection.
Because humanoid robots are intended to use the same tools and occupy the same spaces as people, Durbin said this opens the door to more flexible use and deployment—so much so that manufacturers might eventually integrate humanoids into production lines “without extensive reconfiguration,” she suggested.
Rodriguez said industries with fluctuating workflows stand to benefit most, given constant variation in unit sizes, configurations, and customer-driven customization.
Throughout the session, Durbin and Rodriguez both emphasized that humanoids are intended to support—not replace—human workers. At the same time, Rodriguez pointed out the labor shortage. “There are simply not enough people to do all the jobs that need doing,” he said. In those cases, humanoids could help manufacturers maintain output while allowing skilled workers to focus on higher-value responsibilities, requiring judgment, experience or problem-solving abilities.
Durbin said Atlas is still in development and is not yet commercially available. However, she noted that Boston Dynamics is preparing pilot deployments with select manufacturing partners. The goal of those pilots, she said, is to understand how humanoids perform in real workflows, how operators respond to them and how quickly robots can be re-tasked as production priorities shift.
“Manufacturers want solutions that can adapt as their needs change,” she said, stressing that ease of training will be a critical factor in whether humanoids succeed.
Rodriguez said deployment will depend on how efficiently they can learn new tasks. For manufacturers who face seasonal changes, changing product lines or batch-based production (as door and window companies often do) this adaptability could be significant.
“Humans are generalists,” they noted. A robot designed around that model may help. For the door and window sector, this next chapter could signal a meaningful shift.