Even if you’re not a big Star Wars fan, you’d probably recognize C-3PO. In the movies, this golden humanoid robot can walk around and communicate with humans and other robots. Although today’s technology is not quite at that level of human interaction, one robot named Atlas has the ability to run, jump, and even do a backflip.
Originally created in 2013 by Boston Dynamics, Atlas is made of aluminum and titanium and has four hydraulically-actuated limbs. It walks upright similar to humans, and has stereo cameras(1) and a laser rangefinder(2) to give it vision. Atlas makes use of various sensors to keep track of its position and keep its balance. The first version of Atlas in 2013 could walk, climb steps, and balance on one foot while being hit by projectiles, although it needed to be tethered to an external power source. When videos of it were first released to the public, the New York Times called it “a step toward the long-anticipated age of humanoid robots,” and stated that it was “a striking example of how computers are beginning to grow legs and move around in the physical world.”
However, the 2013 version of Atlas pales in comparison to what it can do today. By now, it has the agility to walk outside in the snow, run over uneven terrain, and jump over obstacles. It no longer needs to be connected to an external power source, and can do parkour over boxes, jump and turn 180 degrees in midair, and do a backflip. Even if it doesn’t stick the landing perfectly, it has the ability to take extra steps to catch itself before it falls. Not to mention, if it does fall over, it is capable of using its arms and legs to stand up again.
While seeing a robot do a backflip is certainly neat, it’s the practical uses of a robot like this that are the most significant. Robots like Atlas are intended to help emergency services in situations where a human would be unable to help or could not survive, such as clearing rubble off of a trapped person or opening doors in a building on fire. Companies such as Boston Dynamics hope to eventually make these robots able to operate vehicles, climb ladders, and turn valves, which would increase their usefulness drastically. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense stated that it had no interest in using Atlas for any type of warfare, which likely puts to rest a lot of fears about Terminator-esque robots (at least for now).
Although a substantial amount of progress has been made with robots like Atlas in the past few years, there are still not many practical applications for it. But at the rate technologies like these are advancing, it won’t be long before you might see a humanoid robot running down the street and not even be surprised.
(1) Stereo cameras are cameras with two or more lenses, allowing it to simulate human vision and capture three-dimensional images
(2) A laser rangefinder uses a laser to determine the distance to an object
This was really interesting I didn’t know that advanced of a robot existed in 2013. The one thing I was wondering is how much of what they are currently capable of has to be programmed before hand and how much it responds to the stimuli it is given.
I remember watching Youtube videos of Atlas in my high school physics class and thinking how amazing it was that technology has advanced this far! While sometimes I think it’s almost scary how life-like some of these robots are, their abilities are changing the way humans handle situations for the better.
The advancements that Atlas has undergone just in the last 6 years is crazy. It’s incredible to think that eventually their could be robots operating vehicles and climbing ladders. However, at the rate technology is moving it’s not hard to imagine. I also really like how you added video clips of the robot, it was cool to watch it in action.
I think that robots are the future of humanity. It will free up humans to focus on more things, like making more robots! But seriously the strides that we have made in producing these magnificent machines is sort of scary. We are quickly becoming a high tier species in the universe.