A NEW all-electric humanoid robot – that has been likened to a “person in a bodysuit” – has just been revealed by Boston Dynamics.
Boston Dynamics, one of the worlds leading robot makers, retired its metallic predecessor just a day before unveiling a newer model.
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The new iteration of the robot, named Atlas, has an improved range of movement than its older sibling, the company announced.
Boston Dynamics, the company behind the advanced robot dog, said the new-and-improved Atlas has swiveling joints that the company claims make it “uniquely capable of tackling dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks.”
We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile.
Boston Dynamics
The US military is already testing how it can use robot dogs in war.
While one Colonel has predicted the use of humanoid robots by the US Army to become commonplace by 2030.
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The new Atlas will be tested with a small group of customers “over the next few years,” starting with Hyundai.
“We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile,” the company said in a statement.
“Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are equipping the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion.
“Atlas will move in ways that exceed human capabilities.”
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The company issued a video showing off Atlas’ abilities, saying: “We promise this is not a person in a bodysuit.”
The clip shows the robot raising from the floor into a standing position with joint bending and flexibility that is fairly inhuman.
Elon Musk, whose company Tesla is working on its own humanoid, compared the movement to that of the antagonist from supernatural horror series Grudge.
“We’re doomed,” one onlooker wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another joked: “There’s about to be a lot of unemployed yoga instructors.”
Atlas appears more humanoid than its predecessor, like Tesla’s Optimus bot.
Boston Dynamics said it plans to continue making Atlas’ abilities to lift and maneuver objects better, and explore “several new gripper variations” .
The company has long said the robot will have plenty of commercial and industrial applications – so different grippers will be key to Atlas’ variety of tasks.
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Humanoid robots – machines that resemble people – are expected to become more commonplace over the next decade…
