Jessica Guynn

USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Google has put Boston Dynamics up for sale, according to a published report.

The decision came after Alphabet executives concluded the robotics unit would not release a marketable product in the next few years, two people familiar with the plan told Bloomberg.

The robotics unit has fetched interest from Toyota Research Institute and Amazon.com, which makes robots for its fulfillment centers, one person told Bloomberg.

Google could not be immediately reached for comment.

Boston Dynamics captured the public imagination last month when it released a video on YouTube showing its Atlas robot performing such feats as opening a door and going for a walk in the snow, lifting boxes and not falling over when prodded. The headline from The Verge: "Boston Dynamics' latest robot is here to make humanity irrelevant."

Google bought Boston Dynamics in 2013, a deal engineered by Andy Rubin, who headed the Android division. He left the company in 2014.

Since then, the robotics initiative has been plagued by infighting and leadership changes, according to Bloomberg.