Watch this humanoid robot skip, jump, lift and flip

Boston Dynamics dropped a new video that shows off its research robot’s exceptional, and slightly terrifying, parkour abilities. In the viral video, the robot, named Atlas, walks across a warehouse floor, picks up items, skips up stairs, jumps, tosses items and even does a backflip.

SEE: NASA’s next-gen robot will explore space and do your chores at home

Atlas’s advanced robotic features and abilities, including its 28 hydraulic joints, 5.6 mph speed, real-time perception and model-predictive control, have earned the robot viral videos before. However, in those videos Atlas was missing something pretty vital to human function–hands. 

“We’re not just thinking about how to make the robot move dynamically through its environment like we did in parkour and dance,” said Scott Kuindersma, Atlas team lead in a behind-the-scenes video. “Now we’re starting to put Atlas to work and think about how the robot should be able to perceive and manipulate objects in its environment.” 

In the viral video, Atlas flaunts his new grippers by picking up a slab of wood and setting it on another surface, lifting a bag and tossing it to a construction worker and then pushing a large wooden block off a ramp. 

The ability to manipulate objects in its environment is a vital skill for a humanoid robot to have since current work environments are suited for humans. For a humanoid robot to excel in those environments, they need to resemble a human as much as possible. 

“A humanoid robot will be well suited for applications like manufacturing, factory work, construction, where a humanoid form factor actually fits very well with its bimanual nature, its ability to stand upright, move heavy things around, and work in spaces that were traditionally designed for humans,” says Kuindersma. 

SEE: Tesla’s first Optimus robot comes alive, Musk says it will cost less than $20,000 

The robot currently isn’t on the market or available for purchase. Atlas Control Lead Ben Stephens says we are still “a long way off” from having robots that can routinely do tasks in the real world. 

Other companies such as NASA and Tesla are currently also working on developing robots that could help humans perform everyday tasks in both the work and home sectors. 

For all the latest Technology News Click Here 

 For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! TechNewsBoy.com is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.