Big Dog, a four-legged robot that can climb muddy hills, and Cheetah, a robot which can outrun the fastest human, are among the robots that now belong to Google Inc.
The world's largest Internet search company acquired Boston Dynamics, a privately held company best known for building robots that look as if they belong in a science-fiction movie and which are often co-developed or funded by the U.S. military.
The acquisition is the latest by Google's secretive robotics division. Google's new robotics division has acquired more than a half-dozen other robotics companies.
Google declined to comment and Boston Dynamics did not return requests for comment. A person familiar with the matter confirmed the deal, which was first reported by the New York Times on Saturday, and said that Google will honour Boston Dynamics' military contracts.
The financial terms of the deal could not be learned.
Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992 as a spinoff from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company works with the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, according to its website.
The four-legged Cheetah robot, which can surpass speeds of 29 miles (or nearly 50 kilometres) per hour according to the website, is billed as the "fastest legged robot in the world."
Google stock closed Monday at $1,072.98 U.S., up $12.19, or 1.1% from Friday's close, in the upper end of a 52-week range from $695.52 to $1,092.31 U.S.
