Watch Boston Dynamics Atlas Challenge Nadia Comaneci

The very short video at the bottom of the page shows the Atlas in a warehouse somewhere performing what Boston Dynamics calls in the title new parkour tricks. To us, they seem more like gymnastic moves, and they're so well performed that this bot could challenge sometime in the future the perfect performance of Nadia Comaneci of decades ago.

Boston Dynamics says the robot learned these moves thanks to an optimization algorithm and the use of a model predictive controller.

“Using this approach, we developed the routine significantly faster than previous Atlas routines, with a performance success rate of about 80%,” Boston says.

They can say what they want, we still find Atlas' grace a little disturbing.

Atlas' parkour skills were more than obvious to us about a year ago, when the company that makes it released images of the thing jumping over a log with human-like moves, and then climbing on 40 cm high offset steps (16 inches) with extreme sports abilities.

The Atlas is a bipedal machine standing 1.5 meters high (5 feet) and weighing 75 kg. It draws its power from a battery, while its arms and legs are moved by means of hydraulics. LIDAR, stereo vision cameras, range sensing and other sensors make it possible for the robot to understand its surroundings.

As for the other star robot of the company, Spot, it has already begun shipping to early adopters. While the use for Atlas is still under debate, the Spot has already found its calling: it can be used as a tool for construction sites, inspection of gas, oil and power installations, and even to ensure public safety.