In July 2013, the American company Boston Dynamicsspecialized in robotics and particularly in robotics for military use, revealed its atlas robot. It is a bipedal robot that measures 1m88. As of 2018, this robot has made spectacular progress compared to other robots.
In particular, it manages to complete a certain route. However, at that moment, he could not perceive his surroundings. Consequently, his analysis became problematic as soon as something changed along the way. But that was before…
Boston Dynamics robot performs almost perfect flips and jumps
In fact, Boston Dynamics just presented a new video in which we can see Atlas’s progress compared to his last performances. And the least we can say is that there is reason to be surprised, and even worried, about what the future of robots will be like.
The reason is that Atlas managed to complete a course almost without problems. He not only ran and jumped but also performed perfect somersaults. Although the robot briefly lost its balance, it quickly rose to its feet. Note that this biped’s movements are inspired by human gestures.
The scope of possible applications is limitless, researchers say
But although Atlas’s pirouettes are surprising, we must not forget that the researchers behind the robot pursue a research objective. By having the robot interact with its environment – ​​and making it act and react accordingly – the research team can not only study the dynamics of the robot’s movements but also learn more about the algorithm that allows it to improve.
Research team leader Scott Kuindersma said Atlas’ movements today are guided by its perception of the environment. He highlights that “ this was not the case before “.
Furthermore, this team leader also explains that “ If, according to our experiments, robots can respond to their environment with the same level of dexterity as a normal adult human, the field of possible applications is almost unlimited.“.
Fountain : YouTube
