Google recently confirmed that it has acquired Boston Dynamics, a Waltham, Mass.-based company that designs mobile research robots for the Pentagon, according to The New York Times.

Boston Dynamics became internationally popular after it developed robots that walk uncannily and even run faster than the fastest humans, the report said. According to MSN News, the company is best known for BigDog, a robot that can walk over rough terrains and carry heavy loads in combat situations.

Over the years, Boston Dynamics continued to develop fast and smaller robots that are powered by gasoline.

The company was founded in 1992 by Marc Raibert, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor in 1992. His research focused on robots that mimic animal movements.

"I am excited by Andy and Google's ability to think very, very big," Dr. Raibert told the Times. "[And] with the resources to make it happen."

Dr. Raibert is known as the father of walking robots in the U.S. and created the Leg Lab, a research laboratory that explored walking machines at Carnegie Mellon University during the 1980s. After his stint at the Carnegie Mello, he then moved the laboratory to M.I.T. before leaving academia to build engineering systems for the military and Sony.

Boston Dynamics has not sold robots commercially, but instead focused on mobile and off-road robotics technology, mostly for Pentagon clients like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In its early years, the company also did consulting work for Sony on consumer robots like the Aibo robotic dog.

Boston Dynamics is Google's eight acquisition of a robotic company. According to the Times report, this recent Google's acquisition indicates that the tech giant is intent on building autonomous systems that can perform various works - from warehouse work to package delivery, and even care for the elderly. Google's robotic team is led by Andy Rubin who spearheaded Android development, the most widely used software in the world.

Google has been consistently acquiring robotic companies that include companies in the U.S. and Japan, companies that have pioneered a range of technologies including software for advanced robot arms, grasping technology and computer vision. According to Rubin, he and his team are interested in advancing sensor technology.