Masdar Smart City and Robotics - GineersNow Engineering Magazine Masdar: The Future of Sustainable City in Abu Dhab | Page 24

ATLAS THE ROBOT DOESN'T
WANT TO BE PUSHED
AROUND ANYMORE
It’s 2016 and these engineers have finally
programmed a robot that can’t be pushed
around anymore. Boston Dynamics, an
engineering and robotics design company,
has just released an updated version of Atlas.
This company is where people from the
military and even the entertainment industry
turn to when they need help with specialized
robots.
And as expected, Google owns this company.
In its Youtube video, it has described its latest
addition to the company’s weird but very
innovative collection of robots:
“A new version of Atlas, designed to operate
outdoors and inside buildings. It is specialized
for mobile manipulation. It is electrically
powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses
sensors in its body and legs to balance and
LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to
avoid obstacles, assess the terrain, help with
navigation and manipulate objects. This
version of Atlas is about 5' 9" tall (about a
head shorter than the DRC Atlas) and weighs
180 lbs.”
Atlas can now walk and move just like a
normal human being. It can even stack boxes
on its own. One feature that makes this latest
version remarkable is its ability to get back
right up after it has been pushed over by a
stick.
Is this the beginning of robots finally sticking
up to itself and eventually picks a fight with
humans? Are we seeing a possible human-
robot war in the future? Will these robots
evolve into something that would make them
our enemies?
Future enemies or not, these robots will be
used to help soldiers carry equipments and
probably replace humans in deployment to
dangerous areas. So far, Boston Dynamics
tests its robots’ efficiency by treating them
to different kinds of tortures like kicking them
and making them walk in icy steps.
Still brutal even for robots. Good thing they
don’t feel anything.
Photo by: 4erevolution
24
JULY 2016
Future Cities & Robotics