In a new demo, the Atlas robot is able to deliver tools to a worker on scaffold. — Photography Courtesy of Boston Dynamics/AFP Relaxnews
Boston Dynamics, known for its famous dog robot Spot, continues to showcase its impressive technology through the development of Atlas, a humanoid robot that, in its latest version, acquires new skills. In fact, it is now able to lift, manipulate and move heavy loads, just like a human worker.
Boston Dynamics has been working on the development of Atlas for a decade now. Atlas was originally created with the aim of helping people in places that are usually inaccessible to humans. Very quickly, it was able to move autonomously by avoiding obstacles in front of it, open doors and use specific tools (a fire hose for example). Over time, Atlas has also demonstrated the ability to run, jump, dance and even perform backflips!
In a video posted online by Boston Dynamics, Atlas can be seen performing a far more perilous mission: delivering a bag of tools to someone waiting at the top of a multi-story scaffold. This requires considerable skill because, in a matter of seconds, the robot has to grab the bag, climb stairs, move a plank, so it can continue on its way, and then throw the bag to its recipient one floor above, all without falling. Plus, once its mission is accomplished, the robot pushes a large block of wood and performs a spectacular backflip to get back down to the ground.
With time, Atlas is performing increasingly significant maneuvers, without hesitation and at a speed close to that of a human. All of this has been made possible by important upgrades to the control software of the robot, which stands 1 meter and 50 centimeters tall and weighs 89kg.
Until further notice, however, Atlas remains a (formidable) research tool and there is no question of it being commercialized, as is now the case for the robot dog Spot or the warehouse robot Stretch. For the moment, Boston Dynamics is more interested in showcasing its expertise in this field than in sending Atlas to a real-world construction site. In the future, the company hopes to develop other dynamic behaviors for use in tasks that are dangerous for humans. – AFP Relaxnews
