BOSTON (AP) - A robotics company that made its animal-like walking machines famous on YouTube is emerging from a quarter-century of stealth.

Killers or everyday assistants? Secretive @BostonDynamics makes robots that run, climb stairs and open doors, but it hasn’t said what they’ll be used for. @mattoyeah gets exclusive details: https://t.co/M4ep757wbq pic.twitter.com/NRAYnUXXlm

— AP Business News (@APBusiness) June 5, 2018

Former employees of Boston Dynamics told The Associated Press that the secretive Massachusetts company has long acted more like a research lab than a business. But there are signs that's changing now that it's no longer funded by U.S. defense grants.

Boston Dynamics founder and CEO Marc Raibert says mass production of the dog-like SpotMini will begin next year. It's the company's first commercial robot since its founding in 1992.

It will be marketed as a camera-equipped security guard. Raibert played down fears that the company's scary-looking robots could one day be used to kill.

Google bought the firm in 2013, then sold it to Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank in February.