Can you transition from a cartwheel into a backflip without landing on your face? Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot can, apparently, though we hate to think how many times the humanoid robot launched itself into the padding behind its landing area before its creators captured the footage they wanted.
If Mirror Me’s 35km/h artificial humanoid isn’t scary enough for you, witnessing Boston Dynamics’ darling show off its newfound agility might do the trick. It’s not like Atlas was a slouch before. Its previous heavy-metal incarnation was fairly skilled in this area. A lightweight body (and better programming) only seems to have elevated its game.
Flipping through the Atlas
Boston and the Rai Institute have given the robot one last outing before it transitions over to being a fully enterprise product. That means no more remarkable videos about the progress of this specific model, but we’re sure that upgraded versions are waiting to show off. And just in case you thought that convincing Atlas to perform a flawless cartwheel-to-backflip was easy, the folks behind the video have also shown off what happened before the most impressive footage.
The video above showcases “one final push to test the limits of full-body control and mobility,” according to Boston Dynamics. After that, Atlas is heading to work in one form or another. It’s far more likely to perform surveillance or packing functions than exploit its newfound gymnastic capability. Well, unless a few units are sold to those ryuha in Shiga Prefecture. They could use Atlas’s advanced mobility for… things.
