Boston Dynamics has just presented a new version of its iconic humanoid Atlas. Fully electric, the robot can now “ to move in ways beyond human capabilities “.
The company, formerly attached to MIT, then having belonged to Google, is famous for its very successful robots, like the robot dog Spot. His humanoid Atlas, initially designed for missions that are difficult for humans to endure, such as rescue, stood out for his parkour sessions and wild dances.
After evolving it for almost a decade, Boston Dynamics decided to put it in the closet to come back with its new iteration. Goodbye hydraulics, hello electric.
Atlas is no longer constrained by human capabilities
Although Atlas retains a humanoid form, he moves in a much less limited manner than his predecessor, exploiting the many ways in which a biped can move. The new version features swivel joints that the company says make it “ capable of tackling boring, dirty and dangerous tasks “.
“ We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous and more agile. Atlas has a human form, but we equipped the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of movements », Details the company in a press release.
In a short video shared by Boston Bynamics, Atlas performs complex movements that a human would not be able to perform.
To test the capabilities of its biped, the company can count on its partner Hyundai, which finalized its acquisition of Boston Dynamics in 2021. Its next generation of automobile manufacturing technology stands out as the “ ideal testing ground for new Atlas applications “.
Additionally, Boston Dynamics is investigating new gripping systems to ensure Atlas is suitable for a range of business needs, while building on the previous model’s ability to lift and move a variety of heavy objects. Ultimately, its objective is of course commercialization.
Time for humanoids?
Long moderate, the development of humanoid robots is now accelerating, and collaborations with the automobile industry are increasingly numerous. While Tesla is developing its own Optimus android, Figure and Apptronik are also being tested on the production lines of BMW and Mercedes, respectively.
The sector could also benefit from the advent of generative artificial intelligence. Leaders like OpenAI or Microsoft are already investing in start-ups designing humanoids with a logical objective: to provide them with models capable of reasoning and communicating in natural language.
Source : Boston Dynamics
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