Google has been developing and building its next generation of humanoid robots that can eventually provide a glimpse if a dystopian world ruled by Skynet, leading to an inevitable rise of the machines. But before all of this, these robots were apparently proven to be able to withstand some human bullying.
Boston Dynamics, a robotic subsidiary owned by Google, has now revealed its latest version of the Atlas robot which is a highly mobile, bipedal robot that can travel through rough terrain and the like. However, bipedal robot has been described as bulky and even inconvenient to operate as its control apparatus has been linked to a network of tangled wires.
Now, this newest version of Atlas is more agile and possesses new and possibly better hardware. This next generation humanoid robot is now smaller than its massive predecessor, weighing 180 pounds, now completely controlled without wires.
Boston Dynamics just released a demonstration video of how the new Atlas can now open doors in the robotics firm offices in Massachusetts, as it ventured out into the snowy landscapes of the outdoor woods from the main headquarters. Atlas comes across a little uneven patch, stumbling, but is able to stand upright all throughout its trek.
In this new video, the robot can also be seen demonstrating its strength and physical abilities by stacking boxes that weigh 10 pounds each. As seen in the past demo videos from Boston Dynamics, Atlas also underwent "bullying" from humans via poking a hockey stick for the robot to lose its balance and even being shoved by a tube forcefully, but Atlas gets up immediately and manages to stand again on its two legs.
The newest version of Atlas is just one of the numerous robotic creations of Boston Dynamics which has been bought by Google in 2013. The company also boasts of its freaky quadrupedal freight robots known as Big Dogs that are reminiscent of oxen that also offer more accessibility to off road terrain during military exercises or missions.
However, the United States Marine Corps found the latest LS3 versions of the hulking Big Dog machines to be terribly noisy due to its gasoline engine, making it a safety risk. Military officials simply put it as, these loud robots are going to give away their positions, rejecting these machines until any further plans for experiments.