Robotic manufacturer Boston Dynamics' robot Atlas is getting better at navigating over all kinds of obstacles. In a new video, the company shows how the humanoid robot runs along a course and jumps on and over obstacles without any problems.
Spin-off from MIT
Boston Dynamics is an American company specialising in robotics. The company was founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The company gained international fame by developing several robots, including the dog-like BigDog, the feline Cheetah and the humanoid robot Atlas.
The company previously worked with DARPA; the company was awarded a $10.8 million contract to develop about seven robots for the DARPA Robotics Challenge based on the robot PETMAN, aimed at testing protective suits. This competition aims to create autonomous robots that can be used in natural and nuclear disasters, among others. The company was acquired in late 2013 by X (then Google X), the R&D division of Google's parent company Alphabet. With no prospect of making the company profitable, Google decided some time later to divest Boston Dynamics again. Since June 2017, the robotics company has been part of Japan's SoftBank, known among other things for the social robot Pepper.
PETMAN, Cheetah, SandFlea, Handle and BigDog
Boston Dynamics has developed out-and-out robots. These include PETMAN and the four-legged walking robot Cheetah, which managed to set a speed record for robots with legs at 45 km/h. Another example is SandFlea, a wheeled robot that can jump as high as 8 metres. Also, Boston Dynamics developed Handle, a 198 cm tall moving robot that can propel at a speed of 14.5 km/h and jump 122 cm high. On one battery charge, Handle can cover a distance of about 24 km.
The company probably owes most of its name recognition to BigDog, a dog-like robot with four legs that was developed with funding from DARPA. Under the name Legged Squad Support System (LS3), a military version of this robot was developed for the US army, with the aim of supporting soldiers in war zones. The project eventually ended up on the shelf, mainly because LS3 would produce too much noise to be deployed on the battlefield.
Atlas
Atlas is another well-known robot from Boston Dynamics. This humanoid robot is very similar to humans in terms of shape, appearance and movements. With Atlas, Boston Dynamics aims to develop a robot that can move its entire body including arms, legs and torso in a coordinated manner. Because the robot stands upright and is able to maintain its balance while performing a variety of tasks, it can perform work while taking up minimal floor space.
A prototype of Atlas was presented by Boston Dynamics in 2013. Since then, the humanoid robot has been under development. The robot is 1.5 metres tall, weighs about 75 kg and can carry a load of up to 11 kg. Many of Atlas' components are manufactured using a 3D printer, which Boston Dynamics says helps save weight and space. Atlas is hydraulically controlled and battery-powered, so the robot does not need to be connected to the mains and can move freely. To map its surroundings, the robot deploys LiDAR and a stereo vision system, among others.
Maintaining balance under demanding conditions
A key feature of Atlas is its ability to keep its balance under demanding conditions. For example, if Atlas trips or sinks one its feet into the ground, Atlas tries to maintain its balance by adjusting its body accordingly. If Atlas does fall over, the robot can scramble back up on its own.
Among other things, this feature enables Atlas to navigate over rough terrain. In early 2016, for instance, a video appeared showing Atlas walking through a snowy forest. Despite its feet sinking into the snow, the robot manages to keep its balance.
The ability to maintain its balance also helps Atlas navigate over obstacles in indoor spaces, as seen in the video below in.
Great strides made in development
That considerable strides are being made with Atlas' development can be seen by comparing the video above with the most recent video about Atlas, which can be seen below. In this video, Atlas also navigates an obstacle course and does so considerably smoother than in the earlier video, which was published in May.
A roadmap for Atlas is not known. As a result, it is not clear what steps Boston Dynamics expects to take with the robot in the near future and when the company expects Atlas to be ready for real-world use.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Boston Dynamics
