ATLAS, THE HUMANOID ROBOT
Meet Atlas, the gargantuan humanoid robot developed by the Alphabet-owned Boston Dynamics. Atlas can be seen running through a forest in an astonishing new video. The video’s experiment is also the first time that the robot’s capabilities have been tested outdoors. It has inspired a comparison of the 344 lb, 6’2 tall Atlas to the Terminator.
Marc Raibert, the founder of Boston Dynamics, explained the details of the experiment at the Fab Lab 11 conference at MIT earlier this month. The purpose of Atlas’ run through the woods was to find out how the robot would perform in an unfamiliar setting and test its balance.
Though Atlas currently requires the assistance of someone holding a connected power pack to run, Raibert has said that it will be able to run on its own in the future.
The Irish Examiner commented “Yes, the robots can now chase us through the woods.”And, aside from running, Atlas can also turn doorknobs because it has the ability to rotate its own wrists.
HISTORY OF ATLAS
Atlas the humanoid robot was debuted in July 2013 by Boston Dynamics, when the company was owned by Google (which is now owned by Alphabet.) It receives funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is interested in using the robot for military situations.
Like Google’s self-driving cars, the humanoid robot perceives the world with a laser radar system. As PCWorld pointed out, several changes were made to the robot this year as part of an upgrade. Among other improvements, its arms were repositioned to become visible to it, its actuators were modified to help it pick itself up from the ground and it was given lighter materials.
ROBO SAPIENS
After its release, artificial intelligence expert Gary Bradski claimed that “A new species, Robo sapiens, are emerging.”
Raibert’s ultimate goal is to develop robots that can equal or exceed human capabilities, he explained at the conference. The Boston Dynamics founder told the Fab 11 conference’s crowd that “We’re making pretty good progress, so [Atlas] has mobility that’s sort of within shooting range of yours.”
This goal, if achieved, might lend credence to some fears about AI.
