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More and more evolved and more and more impressive, the Atlas robot shows its innards and gives us a new high-flying acrobatic performance.
We are now used to seeing Atlas, the bipedal robot from Boston Dynamics, indulge in all kinds of gymnastics. However, with each appearance, we can’t help but be amazed by his new skills. And in the latest video posted on YouTube by the company, which is 80% owned by Hyundai Motor, the robot delivers a most acrobatic performance. Almost ready for the obstacle course of Koh Lanta, we see him chaining climbs and descents of steps, inclined turns, various and varied jumps, passage on a beam and somersaults synchronized with a second robot. Enjoy the show:
In a second video perhaps even more interesting and titled “Inside the Lab: How Atlas Works”, several engineers from the company present the main operating principles of the robot and the way in which they program it and make it evolve. The opportunity to see Atlas fall during its tests (and get up), and to measure the great complexity of the work to be done before the shooting of these impressive videos which, as Benjamin Stephens, responsible for the robot’s controls, confesses, are highly structured demonstrations. “The robot doesn’t magically adapt to the terrain presented to it by deciding to do tricks, it’s an orchestrated routine, like when shooting a skateboard or parkour video”he explains.
However, in a post published on his blog, Boston Dynamics insists on the new capabilities acquired by the robot in recent years, and in particular the fact that it is increasingly able to rely on its own sensors to adapt its movements and trajectories, rather than relying solely on planning their actions. Thus, the robot’s perception of its environment has changed, which explains for example that we can see it hesitate or try to catch up upstream of certain falls. Previously, the robot would have just blindly recited its list of actions until it fell. It also makes it easier for engineers to change obstacle clearances or platforms without having to systematically reprogram everything. Finally, it allows the robot to have a more human attitude.