WALTHAM, November 5, 2026 — Boston Dynamics has unveiled Stretch Gen 2, an upgraded autonomous trailer-unloading robot that can handle up to 1,000 cases per hour. The redesign draws on more than 100,000 operating hours from the first-generation fleet to target the failures that took robots offline.
By the Numbers
The figure that matters: 1,000 cases per hour, the peak unloading rate the company cites for the new model, though actual throughput depends on box weight and stacking conditions. Internal cabling is down 81%, eliminating roughly half a mile of wiring per unit. A full swerve-drive swap now takes about one hour, compared with a full day on the previous model. The battery lasts two shifts and reaches 90% charge in roughly 75 minutes on a fast charger.
What Changed
Boston Dynamics said it analyzed data from tens of millions of boxes unloaded since the first Stretch entered commercial use in 2023. The company used those 100,000-plus operating hours to identify common causes of unplanned downtime and redesign the hardware accordingly.
The new model introduces automotive-grade connectors built to withstand vibration from uneven floors and heavy handling. Continuous-rotation joints now move beyond 360 degrees without hitting mechanical stops, reducing stress on components. A redesigned gripper adds new valves and more precise sensors for box grasping. The emergency stop button sits lower and recessed to prevent accidental shutdowns from falling boxes, and exterior panels have been toughened for the same reason.
Standardized fasteners and modular components let maintenance teams replace parts faster. Onboard diagnostics allow customers’ own technicians to handle more routine service, reducing reliance on outside specialists.
Warehouse Impact
Investors will note the robot is already deployed with major logistics operators. DHL, Gap and Maersk run the first-generation Stretch commercially. DHL signed an MOU last May to add more than 1,000 additional units and has recorded peak unloading rates of up to 700 boxes per hour with the current fleet. The two companies are expanding Stretch’s role beyond trailer unloading into picking and sorting inside distribution centers.
For context, earlier Lidl trials of the first-generation robot regularly exceeded 500 cartons per hour and reached 600, according to Automated Warehouse reporting. Lidl valued the predictable output for logistics planning. Those results reflect the earlier model; Gen 2 performance under similar conditions has not been independently verified.
The bottom line for warehouse operators: consistent output with fewer maintenance interruptions may prove more valuable than peak speed. Boston Dynamics says the redesigned computing platform supports regular software updates that improve package detection, motion planning and picking strategies without hardware changes.
Hyundai’s Robotics Play
Stretch is the logistics pillar of Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics portfolio, which also includes the Spot quadruped for industrial inspection and the Atlas humanoid in development. Hyundai is building a Robot Metaplant Application Center in Georgia as a training hub and plans to deploy Atlas on manufacturing floors sorting and supplying automotive parts from 2028, expanding to parts assembly by 2030.
At CES 2026 in January, Hyundai announced that Stretch robots had unloaded more than 20 million boxes at logistics sites worldwide since the 2023 launch.
Sources
- Boston Dynamics Unveils Stretch Gen 2 Autonomous Trailer-Unloading Robot
- Stretch Gen 2 Unloads Up to 1,000 Cases an Hour
- Boston Dynamics' Stretch Gen 2 cuts robot repair time to just one hour
- Boston Dynamics unveils second-generation Stretch logistics robot with improved durability – The Herald Business
Photo: Web Summit (CC BY 2.0)
