Boston Dynamics: Atlas Update
Boston Dynamics' updated Atlas humanoid robot is showing off a great deal of balance...
Boston Dynamics, an engineering company specializing in advanced robotics and software for human simulation, is participating in DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program, which seeks to build robot systems that can move quickly in natural environments. This is their latest update on the highly stabilized and maneuverable "Atlas" robot.
Atlas is a high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain. Atlas can walk bipedally leaving the upper limbs free to lift, carry, and manipulate the environment. In extremely challenging terrain, Atlas is strong and coordinated enough to climb using hands and feet, to pick its way through congested spaces.
Future versions are going to include articulated, sensate hands that will enable Atlas to use tools designed for human use. Atlas includes 28 hydraulically-actuated degrees of freedom, two hands, arms, legs, feet and a torso. Also designs for an articulated sensor head include stereo cameras and a laser range finder. Right now Atlas is powered from an off-board, electric power supply via a flexible tether, but there are high hopes they'll figure out a way to operate without the tether.
Several copies of the Atlas robot are being provided as Government Furnished Equipment for the DARPA Robotics Challenge program with delivery scheduled in the summer of 2013.
