On Wednesday, Boston Dynamics showcased the newest iteration of their Atlas humanoid robot. The hydraulic Atlas robot was retired by the firm the day before the announcement. With a superhuman range of motion, among other improvements over its predecessor, the new Atlas is entirely electric. The more athletic and skinny robot was seen in a video moving in ways that went against human anatomy. The massive robotics company promises that it will be capable of lifting and moving a broad range of goods.
Boston Dynamics unveiled the electric Atlas robot, intended for practical uses, in a YouTube video. The new robot now has a completely different design based on the demo. It no longer has a large thoracic plate or a broad upper torso. The redesigned Atlas features longer, more erect limbs, a metallic, slim body, no external connections, and a ring light that circles its head.
Atlas is first seen in the demo lying on the ground. The humanoid robot rolls over and folds its legs back over its body as it boots up, resembling a monster from a science fiction horror film. It then stands up and twists its waist 180 degrees. It wanders away in the next few moments, taking more deliberate and linear steps, and spins its head a couple of times to reveal what looks to be a big camera lens.
The video showed in less than a minute that the new Atlas robot is not only more flexible and agile, but that because of its longer limbs, it may also be able to lift heavier objects. Boston Dynamics released a press statement outlining its objective, saying, “We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile.” Atlas may have a human-like form factor, but instead of being limited by a human range of motion, we are giving the robot the tools it needs to move as efficiently as possible to accomplish a task.
The electric Atlas is now undergoing testing and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The company intends to investigate several novel gripper modifications over this time frame in order to empower the robot to execute a wide range of jobs. Hyundai will be the first in line for the limited number of clients that will participate in the testing phase.