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A lot of us may still be caught up in the excitement of VR technology. While we’re strapping our heads with a device immersing us into virtual worlds, the people over at Boston Dynamics have been cooking up some crazy technology. About two years ago Google acquired Boston Dynamics which is a company that specializes in robotics. We’ve probably seen other humanoid robots like Hondas ASIMO, but we have yet to see anything like Atlas.
For years engineers have been hard at work trying to create a robot that can perfectly emulate the actions of a human being. A lot of companies have come close but not as close as Boston Dynamics with Atlas. When we picture a robot that can walk and talk we more than likely picture it doing humanly things like trying to catch itself while falling or picking something up. Well Boston Dynamics has succeeded in that area with Atlas by showcasing a video of the robot doing human-like duties. Atlas stands at five-foot-nine and weighs in at 180 pounds. At first sight you may be in sheer shock at what this robot can do, but this is what the future has in store for us.
In the video entitled “Atlas, The Next Generation,” you get to take a peek inside of the labs where Atlas goes through a series of tests. The first of which is footage of the humanoid walking out of a line of robots and headed towards the front door. Unlike any robot we have probably seen, Atlas opens the door and leaves the facility. Next we get to see Atlas walk through snow which for humans is a difficult task depending on how deep it is, but for Atlas rather easy until he hits a few bumps. Atlas has the capability of catching itself and regaining balance after stumbling and as they show later in the video, can lift itself up after after being knocked over. If you think that was nuts, Atlas can lift items up and set them on shelves and if the item is pushed out of its view, it can follow it and go grab it.
Created by Boston Dynamics and housed inside of the X research lab at Alphabet, the company’s main work is centered around the military. So if anything we may see Atlas on the battlefield protecting our country.