[video] Boston Dynamics - Atlas, The Next Generation

[Arthur]

A new version of Atlas, designed to operate outdoors and inside buildings. It is specialized for mobile manipulation. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses sensors in its body and legs to balance and LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, assess the terrain, help with navigation and manipulate objects. This version of Atlas is about 5' 9" tall (about a head shorter than the DRC Atlas) and weighs 180 lbs (81.6 kg).

 

[Trojan]

The people pushing it over and moving the boxes out of the way deliberately are going to be the first ones it kills when it gains sentience!

[Arthur]

[6Foot2]

 

[6Foot2]

[6Foot2]

Link: 'Kick back and relax': Humanoid robot retires - BBC News

 

 

Atlas, a humanoid robot which can run, somersault and do backflips, has been retired after 11 years.

 

"Now it’s time for our hydraulic Atlas robot to kick back and relax," its maker Boston Dynamics said in a video which showed the robot's highlights and lowlights.

 

Various incarnations of Atlas went viral over the years, delighting and terrifying viewers in the process.

 

Boston Dynamics also produces a four-legged robot called Spot and other robots designed for manufacturing.

 

The first version of Atlas was made in 2013 as part of a robotics competition for the US military. It was designed to help in search and rescue missions after disasters.

 

At the time it was described as, external "one of the most advanced humanoid robots ever built."

 

That version was 188cm tall and weighed 150kg.

 

Later versions were not designed for any specific purpose, but more as a means of seeing see how advanced the technology could become.

 

"Our long-term goal is to make robots that have mobility, dexterity, perception and intelligence comparable to humans and animals, or perhaps exceeding them; this robot is a step along the way," Boston Dynamics boss Marc Raibert told IEEE, external in 2016.

 

The final Atlas model was significantly smaller and lighter - at just 150cm tall and weighing 89kg.

 

It was also far more mobile, using hydraulics and battery power to move around.

 

But - for all its pioneering dexterity and poise - it was still sometimes flummoxed by basic tasks.

 

In its farewell video, Boston Dynamics showed Atlas walking into a lift door, falling down the stairs and struggling to put a box on a shelf.

 

But it also showed parkour-like ability to flip, spin and jump.

 

Atlas's acrobatics prompted warnings - many of them tongue in cheek - that robots would take over.

 

But Mr Raibert told the BBC in 2019 that these were just scare stories, insisting most people he met were very positive about his creations.

 

He also described an unlikely source of inspiration for getting his robots to be steady on their feet - pushing his one-year-old daughter over.

 

"She was teetering and tottering and learning to balance and I just wanted to see what would happen. But we're still good pals," he said.

 

Boston Dynamics is owned by Japanese car company Hyundai, having previously been owned by Softbank, and before that, Google.

 

It was started at MIT over 40 years ago.

 

Despite its previous funding from the military, the company is now primarily focused on leasing its robots to manufacturers or the oil, gas and construction industries.

[Ditto]

Beat me to it! There is absolute beauty in the video, simply stunning progress since the opening post of this thread. Also, there are some classic comedy falls which make it so much more 'human'.

[6Foot2]

 

We are unveiling the next generation of humanoid robots—a fully electric Atlas robot designed for real-world applications. The new Atlas builds on decades of research and furthers our commitment to delivering the most capable, useful mobile robots solving the toughest challenges in industry today: with Spot, with Stretch, and now with Atlas ...

[Dos_Box]

 

It's like watching how some undead\ghoul types in horror films get themselves up from a beating. All it needs is some bone crunching sounds and a low moan!

[6Foot2]

It's like watching how some undead\ghoul types in horror films get themselves up from a beating. All it needs is some bone crunching sounds and a low moan!

 

It also has an Exorcist-esque head turn (not the full 360°, but it happens in a manner that echoes horror films)

[jthompson]

Reminds me of that bit in Death Becomes Her when Meryl Streep picks herself up off the floor after being pushed down the stairs by Bruce Willis.

[6Foot2]

 

[Andrew_C]

Have they NEVER seen any Sci-Fi films...?

[robintech]

 

 

 

That's my patented "late to work "run

Edited February 9 by robintech

[Koldov]

1 hour ago, Andrew_C said:

Have they NEVER seen any Sci-Fi films...?

 

Well.... I have... and I've got to say, this might very well be the moment my view on robotics and AI is completely polarised.