Dive Brief: 

• Google has announced its acquisition of Boston Dynamics, an engineering firm responsible for designing mobile research robots for the Pentagon — with some models even capable of running faster than humans. 
• The move will put Google into the robotics race with Amazon, which recently released a viral video showcasing the potential of drone deliveries. 
• While many speculated that Amazon's drone video was an unrealistic marketing stunt, the Boston Dynamics acquisition is the eighth robotics company acquired by Google in the past six months. 

Dive Insight: 

Google didn't start revealing their robotics buys until Amazon received so much attention for the drone delivery video, which means, in part, that this announcement is a marketing move as well. What points to more serious plans though, is the large amount of robotics companies Google has snatched up this year. The company is definitely developing robotic processes that may change the online retail landscape drastically, and you can bet it will want to market those developments as they come.