# Which robots can do a backflip?

**Yes, but only in staged demos: Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Unitree's H1 and G1.** On DEPLOY's record, three robots have demonstrated a backflip, all in controlled demos: Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Unitree's H1 and G1 humanoids. None does backflips as real work. A backflip proves dynamic balance and powerful actuators on camera, not a deployed capability you can buy and put to use.

Last verified Mar 19, 2025. 5 sources.

## Short answer

A backflip is one of the hardest athletic moves a legged robot can do, so only a few have pulled it off, and every one of them did it in a staged demonstration.

On DEPLOY's record, the robots that have shown a backflip are Boston Dynamics' Atlas, which first landed one as a hydraulic prototype in 2017 and again as the current electric Atlas in December 2024, and two Unitree humanoids: the H1, which Unitree says was the first full-size humanoid to backflip without hydraulics in March 2024, and the G1, which Unitree filmed landing a standing side flip in March 2025.

What none of them does is backflips as a job. A backflip proves a robot can control its whole body through a fast, unstable move, which is a real engineering milestone, but it is a demonstration staged for a camera, not a task any deployed robot performs.

On the record every one of these machines is at the research, pilot, or early commercial stage. Everything here is dated and attributed to its source, so you can watch the demonstrations and judge them yourself.

## Robots that have demonstrated a backflip

| Robot | Maker | Type | Stage on record | Backflip demonstration | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Unitree G1 | Unitree Robotics | Humanoid robot | Commercial | Mar 19, 2025: Unitree released video of the G1 landing a standing side flip in March 2025, which the company called the first side flip by a humanoid robot, following earlier G1 backflip footage. The flip is real and on camera; the first-of-its-kind framing is Unitree's own claim, not an independent finding. | [Unitree Robotics (official)](https://x.com/UnitreeRobotics/status/1902218781268832538) (2025-03-19), [Asia Times](https://asiatimes.com/2025/03/unitrees-humanoid-robot-a-great-side-flip-forward-for-china/) (2025-03-20) |
| Atlas | Boston Dynamics | Humanoid robot | Pilot | Dec 24, 2024: Boston Dynamics' Atlas first landed a backflip as the hydraulic prototype in a November 2017 demonstration, the move that made the robot famous, and repeated the feat as the current electric Atlas in a December 2024 video. Both are staged demonstrations of the robot's balance and actuation, not tasks it performs in service. | [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/24/watch-boston-dynamics-electric-atlas-do-a-backflip) (2024-12-24), [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/16/boston-dynamics-atlas-robot-can-now-do-a-backflip.html) (2017-11-16) |
| Unitree H1 | Unitree Robotics | Humanoid robot | Research and development | Mar 21, 2024 (as reported): Unitree released video of the H1 performing a standing backflip in March 2024, which the company described as the first backflip by a full-size humanoid driven only by electric motors, without hydraulics. The backflip is on camera; the without-hydraulics first is Unitree's own claim, attributed to the company. | [New Atlas](https://newatlas.com/robotics/unitree-h1-backflip/) (2024-03-21) |

## How we know this

- [Unitree Robotics (official)](https://x.com/UnitreeRobotics/status/1902218781268832538) (2025-03-19)
- [Asia Times](https://asiatimes.com/2025/03/unitrees-humanoid-robot-a-great-side-flip-forward-for-china/) (2025-03-20)
- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/24/watch-boston-dynamics-electric-atlas-do-a-backflip) (2024-12-24)
- [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/16/boston-dynamics-atlas-robot-can-now-do-a-backflip.html) (2017-11-16)
- [New Atlas](https://newatlas.com/robotics/unitree-h1-backflip/) (2024-03-21)

## Common questions

### Can a robot do a backflip?

Yes. A small number of robots have demonstrated a backflip, all in controlled demos. On DEPLOY's record they are Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Unitree's H1 and G1 humanoids. It remains a rare, hard move: a backflip demands precise whole-body control through a fast, unstable motion, so most robots, even advanced ones, have never shown one.

### Which humanoid robots can do a backflip?

On DEPLOY's record, three humanoids have demonstrated a backflip: Boston Dynamics' Atlas (as both the hydraulic prototype in 2017 and the electric Atlas in December 2024), Unitree's H1 (March 2024), and Unitree's G1 (a standing side flip in March 2025). Each is a staged demonstration, dated and sourced on this page.

### Can Tesla's Optimus do a backflip?

There is no verified Optimus backflip on DEPLOY's record. Tesla has shown Optimus walking, and at the 2024 We Robot event reporters found its crowd interactions were teleoperated, but no backflip has been demonstrated. On the record, the humanoids that have shown a backflip are Boston Dynamics' Atlas and Unitree's H1 and G1.

### Was the Boston Dynamics Atlas backflip real?

Yes. Boston Dynamics released video of the hydraulic Atlas landing a backflip in November 2017, and of the newer electric Atlas doing one in December 2024. Both are genuine, on-camera demonstrations. What they are not is a task Atlas performs in service: they are staged to show the robot's balance and power.

### Can robot dogs or quadrupeds do a backflip?

On DEPLOY's record, the verified backflip demonstrations are all humanoids. Outside the record, MIT's Mini Cheetah was reported as the first quadruped to backflip in 2019, and Unitree's four-legged robots have shown acrobatic moves in videos, but DEPLOY does not hold a verified quadruped backflip demonstration, so this answer is scoped to the humanoids it can source.

### Does doing a backflip make a robot useful?

Not on its own. A backflip proves a robot can control its whole body through a fast, unstable move, which is a real milestone in balance and actuation. But it is a demonstration, not a deployed capability. No robot on DEPLOY's record does backflips as part of any real job, and a robot's usefulness is measured by the work it actually does, dated and verified.

## Keep reading

- [Can a robot feel pain?](/can-a-robot-feel-pain.md): Capabilities & sentience
- [All verified answers](/answers.md): Every standing question DEPLOY tracks.
- [See the full Boston Dynamics Atlas record](https://registry.deploy.report/models/boston-dynamics-atlas): Specs, deployments, incidents, and every source on the verified registry.
- [What is the most advanced humanoid robot?](/what-is-the-most-advanced-humanoid-robot-in-2026.md): How the leading humanoids compare on what they can verifiably do.

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