Boston Dynamics' Humanoid Robot Atlas' Latest Trick Will Either Amaze or Frighten You

Robots are used in an increasing proportion in today's manufacturing facilities, but most, if not all, do not have a humanoid configuration. Instead, factories used specialized bots, if you allow the term, to perform specific tasks without requiring them to move from their station.

In a production line, this configuration helps replace humans for repetitive tasks that can be done safely by robots. Other applications include tasks that required a certain level of accuracy that came with years of experience, but were tiresome to do constantly time after time.

Think about welding robots or automated paint booths. Both jobs can be done by robots now, but those 'bots are not going anywhere, and they are not sentient in any way. If they were taught how to move, as well as how to do things the right way on their post, and were then left alone to work, things would get interesting, but it might not work out as anticipated. After all, they must perform certain tasks with a level of precision, and being creative in the process is not in the job description.

Again, we are just referring to vehicle manufacturing tasks, but specialized robots are used in a broad range of applications. Some of those robots can move and some can grab objects, few can do both.

Depending on what these robots can do, their price increases, and this may lead to some situations where it is cheaper to have a few human employees working in shifts rather than a single robot working around the clock.

The robots that can move from one point to another are usually remotely controlled by humans or are operated by software that involves certain variables and prevents accidents by simply stopping the robot and issuing an error for the supervisor, who must then decide the right course of action for the problem at hand.

In the case of humanoid robots, several companies have shown prototypes, as well as improved versions and new generations of their previous models. While many companies have attempted to solve the puzzle of making a humanoid robot that could behave as some of those in the movies, we still do not have anything like it.

Humanoid robots must tackle several tasks before they can be considered remotely useful in various situations. The first of those is walking, which seems to have been resolved by most of the firms involved in the development of these bots. The second is grabbing objects without dropping them, but also without breaking them, and this is where things get tricky.

The third problem that had to be solved was related to complex interactions with objects from the surrounding environment – not only did the robots have to discover, identify, and operate a specific task with the right level of force, but a reliable way of ensuring that a robot grabs an object without crushing it or dropping it had to be found.

Now, the folks at Boston Dynamics seem to have found the answer to all the above, along with other developments that make their Atlas humanoid robot capable of solving complex problems, coming up with creative solutions for some issues, and even showing off after completing a task.

We will let you enjoy the video for yourself, as well as watch the making-of, which is also available below. As its creators acknowledge, there is still a lot of work to do before we get to have a robot that can do anything in the real world. However, we cannot ignore its current capabilities, as it has been taught to do more things than just dance, parkour, or walk.

Do not fear these robots being the next big thing on construction sites across the world, as a prototype like this one costs as much as a piece of specialized construction equipment, but without being ready for use in such an environment. Since it is a prototype and it is expensive, you can be sure that nobody wants it anywhere near dirt, dust, or a full-blown construction site.

It does raise the possibility of robot workers being used to help with heavy objects, which may be a useful application once they become affordable.

In a little over 30 seconds, the Atlas robot shows great potential, and we can only wonder what they will come up with the next time we see it.