Boston Dynamics to discuss the art behind human-robot interaction

Learn how to design human-robot collaboration for trust and safety in a webinar. Source: Boston Dynamics As humanoid robots start to move from laboratories into industrial and commercial environments, developers must address safety concerns. Boston Dynamics this week is presenting a free webinar to discuss the human-machine interaction, or HMI, considerations for humanoids.

The key to establishing trust, safety, and productive coexistence is not making robots look human, but making them predictable, according to the company . In the webinar on “The Art Behind Human-Robot Interaction,” Boston Dynamics experts will explain the importance of HMI for human-robot collaboration. Mario Bollini, director of human-robot interaction, and Leland Hepler, UI designer and former Disney and video game animator, will explain how Boston Dynamics is merging engineering and artificial intelligence with classic animation techniques in its Atlas humanoid, which is among the few in commercial trials.

Webinar attendees can learn about: Communicating intent: Learn how anticipatory cues and “thinking” behaviors can signal a robot’s current status to people around it. Safety: The speakers will describe how the electric version of Atlas is designed to work autonomously alongside humans without safety caging. The AI shift: The webinar will examine how large language models (LLMs) are shifting robots away from rigid, pre-programmed scripts toward more natural interactions.

Embracing the mechanical form: Leaning into a machine’s form rather than chasing human mimicry is the key to conquering the “uncanny valley,” according to the experts. m. ET on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

About the Boston Dynamics speakers Mario Bollini is director of human-robot interaction at Boston Dynamics. He studied robotics at MIT, was a serial entrepreneur, and was one of the first commercial hires at Boston Dynamics. As the Spot product management lead, Bollini helped create the dynamic sensing product category and scale the quadruped robot to thousands of deployed systems.

He also led the Atlas product management team, guiding the program from its R&D pivot through product design and launch of Boston Dynamics’ production-grade humanoid at CES. Now leader of the interaction design team in charge of the user experience for all robots at Boston Dynamics, Bollini is working to design a human-centric future where robots assist, empower, and inspire. Leland Hepler is a distinguished product designer at Boston Dynamics.

He has worked at the company since 2018 developing UX/UI/HRI experiences for robots. Before Boston Dynamics, Hepler was the director of UX at Rethink Robotics. He also spent a decade art directing and creating simulated AI characters for video games and was a character animator for 14 years at Disney Studios on films such as The Lion King and Chicken Little .

Hepler studied film and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. The post Boston Dynamics to discuss the art behind human-robot interaction appeared first on The Robot Report .