Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot demo is equal parts terrifying and amazing
The Atlas robot has incredible athleticism and can even problem solve
Every time Boston Dynamics releases a new video of one of their humanoid robots performing basic activities we take for granted, I’m awash with equal parts amazement and anxiety.
We’ve seen the Atlas robot before (not just in my nightmares) and its latest party trick is helping a worker retrieve his toolkit. The robot doesn’t just shuffle over to an inconspicuous bag and hand it over, though.
No, this robot figures out that it needs a plank to cross a small gap, proceeds to skip across it with the grace of a figure skater, and then gently throws the bag to the fleshy meatbag who requested it.
The Shortcut Skinny: The amazing Atlas robot
🤖 Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot has returned in a new video
🤯 The humanoid robot performs a number of complex tasks
🫱 New claw-like grippers allow Atlas to grab things like a plank or bag of tools
😱 The video of a robot performing human actions with ease isn’t scary at all
If that wasn’t impressive enough, the Atlas robot then backflips back down as though it’s in a kung fu movie, and safely lands on the ground. Yes, the whole thing made me feel wholly inadequate, but we’ve already seen that Atlas is a master of parkour.
If you’d like to experience the horror beauty of seeing Atlas in action, check out the video below and get ready to question everything you hold dear.
The Atlas robot video has racked up almost two million views since going live yesterday, and sifting through the comments section shows that everyone is in awe of the man-made machine and not the least bit scared it’ll soon overthrow humanity.
It’s alive!
Boston Dynamics has developed a reputation for creating incredibly advanced robots. The company first went viral around 12 years ago when they showed off BigDog, but they’ve been around for three decades. The BigDog robot exhibited scarily lifelike balance, and could even withstand being kicked on icy surfaces.
Since then, Boston Dynamics’ robotic expertise has continued to amaze the world. The company recently put together a Superbowl commercial where three of its robot models danced to ‘Do you love me’ by The Contours. Again, viewer discretion is advised.
As unsettling as Boston Dynamics’ robots are, I’m actually more worried about the rise of AI writers that have been in the news lately. CNET, one of the biggest technology websites around, was found to be using AI to publish 75 finance articles. The repercussions for someone who makes a living by writing are obvious, but it’s also the reader who should be concerned.
Despite promising that its AI-generated articles are heavily scrutinized by actual real-life editors, the company has had to issue hefty corrections to several articles, highlighting the risk of relying on artificial intelligence. However, it also brings into question CNET’s transparency on how it checks automated articles in the first place.
With self-driving cars, automated checkouts, AI artists and text-to-speech generators, advances in artificial intelligent show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. We’ll just have to hold on tight and see where this wild ride takes us.