In the launch video, Hugo waves at a little girl in a tutu, high-fives engineers and hugs children. The Hugo robot is a purple, horned, fur-covered character built by Dynamic Creatures, a Boston-area startup run by Boston Dynamics’ former chief strategy officer, and CEO Marc Theermann’s post introducing it on X had been viewed more than 1.7 million times by Sunday morning.
Here’s the catch: a person was driving. The Hugo in the video is being teleoperated under remote human control, the Boston Globe reported, and the company’s own video description says the software that would let Hugo read a room by himself is still being developed. That matters because Hugo is pitched for theme parks, hotels and stores, places where a robot would be close enough to touch children. As the Globe noted, humanoid robots are rarely allowed one-on-one time with members of the public.
What Dynamic Creatures says the Hugo robot is
Dynamic Creatures posted the video to its YouTube channel on October 12. The description says Hugo combines “an advanced robotic platform with 43 actuators, animatronic character design, and our work in expressive movement and human–robot interaction.” In his LinkedIn announcement, Theermann called it a prototype running SnowJay, the company’s robot operating system, and said it’s designed for theme parks, resorts, casinos and retail.
That’s about the full spec sheet. Dynamic Creatures hasn’t published Hugo’s height, weight, battery life, walking speed or how many of those 43 actuators drive the face versus the body. Fortune’s Allie Garfinkle, who saw pictures of Hugo in September, described him as a Tyrolean mountain troll, which explains the embroidered leather shorts.
The SnowJay page is more detailed about software than hardware. Dynamic Creatures says the platform runs real-time control policies, logs and monitors the robot’s health, and handles safe stops, controlled shutdown and “controlled-fall behavior.” Designers can animate gestures in Maya and import them. For conversation, the company says it combines third-party embodied-reasoning models with its own human-robot interaction layer for facial expressions, gaze, gestures and voice.
“Runs on” versus “is developing”
The company’s two descriptions of Hugo’s brain don’t match. Theermann’s October 16 post on X says, “Hugo runs on the first Vision-Language-Expression (VLE) model,” and that “he notices you, reads the room, and reacts in real time.” The YouTube description, posted four days earlier, says the company’s reinforcement learning team “is developing” that VLE model, and that Dynamic Creatures is “also developing the navigation and safety capabilities needed for close interaction with people.” Theermann’s own LinkedIn post says the team is “now developing his ability to understand the context of each encounter.”
The Globe’s Hiawatha Bray put it plainly: the system “cannot yet be trusted to handle fully autonomous physical interactions with people.” “The first” is the company’s own description. None of this makes the video fake. Plenty of polished robot demos are piloted by a person, and our guide to teleoperation versus autonomy in humanoid demos explains why that’s normal at the prototype stage. It does mean the video shows a costume, a body and a performer, not an AI that greets guests on its own.
What’s under the fur
Dynamic Creatures hasn’t said what robot is inside Hugo. Its September launch release says the company builds characters “on Boston Dynamics and other systems,” as well as fully original robots. Its first prototype, a lavender poodle named Danielle, sits on Boston Dynamics’ Spot, Theermann told Fortune.
Hugo walks on two legs, so it isn’t a Spot. Humanoids Daily pointed out that about ten seconds into the video, a developer’s monitor shows a model of the robot with its head covering separated from the frame, and that the proportions resemble a modified Unitree G1. The outlet called that a visual inference, not a confirmed identification. The X account of Resolved Motion went further and said outright that Hugo is a costume on a G1. The company hasn’t confirmed either way. If it is a G1, that’s Unitree’s research humanoid, which listed at $13,500 on Unitree’s US store in our October humanoid price check; our Unitree G1, R1 and H2 breakdown has its specs.
Boston Dynamics’ partner, not its subsidiary
Dynamic Creatures came out of stealth on September 8 as Boston Dynamics’ “official entertainment and hospitality partner,” according to its launch release, which Boston Dynamics also posted. Theermann was Boston Dynamics’ chief strategy officer. His co-founder and CTO, Farbod Farshidian, led research at the Robotics and AI Institute. Boston Dynamics is a partner but holds no equity, Fortune reported.
Amanda McMaster, Boston Dynamics’ interim CEO, said in the release that the startup is “combining proven robotic platforms with character design, adaptive behavior and real-time interaction.” The investors are Eniac Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Heliad, Sunshine Lake and BlueGrass Ventures, with Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert and Lukas Ziegler as angels. The company hasn’t said how much it raised. It’s a very different bet from the factory work Boston Dynamics is chasing with Atlas at Hyundai.
No price, no venue, no date
Dynamic Creatures hasn’t published a price for Hugo. The September release says characters built on existing robot platforms can be deployed “in months” and will be offered on leasing models, so venues don’t need a large upfront purchase. The company says it’s working with a large theme park and a retailer, neither named. Mugglehead reported in September that the plan includes managed pilot deployments in early 2027.
Theermann’s argument, as he put it to the Globe, is that “cute and cuddly” robots will make people comfortable with machines before humanoids arrive in homes. That only works if the hugs are safe without a hidden operator. The next thing worth watching is the first unedited encounter with members of the public, and whether the company names a venue, a safety standard or an autonomy level when it does.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Hugo robot?
Hugo is a prototype character robot from Dynamic Creatures, a Boston startup. The company says it has 43 actuators, runs the company’s SnowJay software platform and is designed to walk among guests at theme parks, resorts, casinos and stores. It looks like a purple, horned, furry creature in embroidered shorts.
Is Hugo autonomous or teleoperated?
The launch video is teleoperated, according to the Boston Globe. Dynamic Creatures’ own video description says its Vision-Language-Expression model and the navigation and safety features for close contact with people are still being developed, even though the CEO’s X post says Hugo “runs on” that model.
Is Hugo a Boston Dynamics robot?
No. Dynamic Creatures is Boston Dynamics’ official entertainment and hospitality partner, and its CEO, Marc Theermann, used to be Boston Dynamics’ chief strategy officer. Fortune reported that Boston Dynamics holds no equity in the startup.
Is Hugo built on a Unitree G1?
Dynamic Creatures hasn’t said. Humanoids Daily noted that a monitor in the video shows a frame that resembles a modified Unitree G1, and the X account of Resolved Motion claimed that it is one, but the company hasn’t confirmed what’s under the costume.
How much does Hugo cost, and where can I see it?
No price has been announced. Dynamic Creatures says characters built on existing platforms will be offered on leasing models to venues, and Mugglehead reported plans for managed pilot deployments in early 2027. The company hasn’t named a theme park or retailer yet.
Sources
- Marc Theermann on X, “Introducing Hugo: the first human companion robot,” October 16, 2026 (launch video; 1.77 million views when checked): x.com
- Dynamic Creatures, “Dynamic Creatures: Living Character Robot Hugo,” YouTube, October 12, 2026 (video and description): youtube.com
- Marc Theermann, “Meet Hugo. A robot you don’t just watch—you meet.,” LinkedIn, October 2026: linkedin.com
- Hiawatha Bray, “Dynamic Creatures’ new robot targets theme parks, retail stores,” Boston Globe, October 13, 2026: bostonglobe.com
- Dynamic Creatures, “Dynamic Creatures Emerges from Stealth to Launch New Category of Mobile, Interactive Character Robots for Hospitality and Entertainment,” GlobeNewswire, September 8, 2026: globenewswire.com
- Boston Dynamics, “Dynamic Creatures Launches New Category of Mobile, Interactive Character Robots for Hospitality and Entertainment”: bostondynamics.com
- RoboticaGuide, “Humanoid robot prices 2026” (Unitree G1 US store price checked October 7, 2026): roboticaguide.com/
- Dynamic Creatures, “SnowJay Platform”: dynamiccreatures.com
- Allie Garfinkle, “The Boston Dynamics spinout building robots you’ll actually want to hug,” Fortune, September 8, 2026: fortune.com
- Humanoids Daily, “Dynamic Creatures Introduces Hugo, a Furry Character Robot With 43 Actuators,” October 13, 2026: humanoidsdaily.com
- Rowan Dunne, “Dynamic Creatures launches to create interactive entertainment robots,” Mugglehead, September 9, 2026: mugglehead.com
- Resolved Motion on X, October 13, 2026 (claim that Hugo is built on a Unitree G1): x.com
All sources accessed October 18, 2026.
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Last updated: October 18, 2026. To report an error, see our corrections page. Articles are drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by an editor; see our editorial policy.
