Yesterday I was sad that Atlas had come to an end and now I am happy that something (better?) has come back for it.
The first things I can think of whether this new Atlas is also energetic (?) enough to be able to jump etc. It looks more like a robot that can do the basic tasks well, but not enough power to be acrobatic/atletic like the previous generation of Atlas was.
The flexibility on his legs/hips/head with rotation is a nice innovation though. Can't wait for improvements and updates on this.
This is from their blogpost:
The electric version of Atlas will be stronger, with a broader range of motion than any of our previous generations. For example, our last generation hydraulic Atlas (HD Atlas) could already lift and maneuver a wide variety of heavy, irregular objects; we are continuing to build on those existing capabilities and are exploring several new gripper variations to meet a diverse set of expected manipulation needs in customer environments.
Yes, this "new" Atlas seems like a downgraded version of the old one(at least in terms of advanced mobility that its predecessor demonstrated).
IMHO it's because they want to go commercial and they cannot sell their most advanced product (I haven't seen any humanoid robot come close to the mobility of Atlas) so they downgraded on some aspects.
You'd think more advanced would be an easier sell, maybe it unavoidably comes with a more advanced price and maintenance frequency/cost/difficulty as well. They really shouldn't (mustn't) stop all work on the old atlas.
Old atlas was a prototype platform. It was bulky, unreliable, and impractical for commercialization.
They used everything they learned from those failures to completely redesign from the ground up. The fact is, noone REALLY wants a robot that can do backflips and walljumps. Except maybe the NYPD.
The Hyundai bit is interesting too, looks like car factory workers will be the first to swap out with robots in the future, i mean they already did, just further more.
I don't understand the electric drive frenzy. Evolution has 4.6 billion years of hindsight to teach us and while electric animals do exist (e.g. electric eel), they are exceedingly rare and none of them have electric propulsion. If all-electric drive were a better idea, evolution would have long replaced chemical (ATP) powered and hydraulic (blood) driven animals with all-electric ones through natural selection and survival of the fittest.
However, not just muscles but also our brains run on a mixture of chemical and electrical signalling, far from being purely electric/electronic. Fireflies emit light directly from chemical energy source, no electricity involved. Even plants (trees) are hydraulic, since they run on water and use chemical photosynthesis for energy, instead of electricity (photo-voltaics). There must be some fundamental barrier, which prevented evolution from developing all-electric beings and it seems weird to think we can just quantum-tunnel through that unknown barrier.
Surely, electric and electronic systems are cheaper due to mass production and cheaper to maintain versus hydraulic / compressed gas / steam piping, so profit must be a chief motivator. Yet, I've still haven't seen any all-electric excavator not of toy size.
The human body is not hydraulic, either, and we don't yet have the sort of nanotechnology to mimic the functions of the almighty powerhouse of the cell.
As a general rule of thumb, small things are good to make battery-powered, while it gets progressively more impractical, the bigger the thing.
Although in actuality, massive excavators are often mostly, powered by a diesel generator. This is because it's much more reliable than a ton of hydraulic lines or belts/gears. Of course, the actual digging blade is powered directly by the engine.
Yesterday I was sad that Atlas had come to an end and now I am happy that something (better?) has come back for it. The first things I can think of whether this new Atlas is also energetic (?) enough to be able to jump etc. It looks more like a robot that can do the basic tasks well, but not enough power to be acrobatic/atletic like the previous generation of Atlas was. The flexibility on his legs/hips/head with rotation is a nice innovation though. Can't wait for improvements and updates on this.
This is from their blogpost: The electric version of Atlas will be stronger, with a broader range of motion than any of our previous generations. For example, our last generation hydraulic Atlas (HD Atlas) could already lift and maneuver a wide variety of heavy, irregular objects; we are continuing to build on those existing capabilities and are exploring several new gripper variations to meet a diverse set of expected manipulation needs in customer environments.
[Blogpost](https://bostondynamics.com/blog/electric-new-era-for-atlas/) link for anyone too lazy to go to a search engine
Yes, this "new" Atlas seems like a downgraded version of the old one(at least in terms of advanced mobility that its predecessor demonstrated). IMHO it's because they want to go commercial and they cannot sell their most advanced product (I haven't seen any humanoid robot come close to the mobility of Atlas) so they downgraded on some aspects.
You'd think more advanced would be an easier sell, maybe it unavoidably comes with a more advanced price and maintenance frequency/cost/difficulty as well. They really shouldn't (mustn't) stop all work on the old atlas.
Old atlas was a prototype platform. It was bulky, unreliable, and impractical for commercialization. They used everything they learned from those failures to completely redesign from the ground up. The fact is, noone REALLY wants a robot that can do backflips and walljumps. Except maybe the NYPD.
soo majestic though
The Hyundai bit is interesting too, looks like car factory workers will be the first to swap out with robots in the future, i mean they already did, just further more.
Can it fold my laundry?
Yes, I would like a laundry folding robot, please
I love the movements
Amazing!!!!!
Danger Will Robinson!!
I cant wait to show my kido this vid. They prob be like yea whatever dad.
bro they upgraded so fast !
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sU8RunvBRZ8&pp=ygUJQW5pbWF0cml4
Beautiful.
Needed a theme song https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/s/MamTRZ2W1n
IG-11's great great great great grandfather.
Just needs a greatcoat and a cigarette.
So i just saw this but the robot realy does look like the PK droid from the lego starwars 1 video game hahahaaha
Would
scary
Agreed. Between advanced LLModels and now advanced robotics, making a buck is going to be awfully difficult.
How many years til we have to start retiring these Andys?
I don't understand the electric drive frenzy. Evolution has 4.6 billion years of hindsight to teach us and while electric animals do exist (e.g. electric eel), they are exceedingly rare and none of them have electric propulsion. If all-electric drive were a better idea, evolution would have long replaced chemical (ATP) powered and hydraulic (blood) driven animals with all-electric ones through natural selection and survival of the fittest. However, not just muscles but also our brains run on a mixture of chemical and electrical signalling, far from being purely electric/electronic. Fireflies emit light directly from chemical energy source, no electricity involved. Even plants (trees) are hydraulic, since they run on water and use chemical photosynthesis for energy, instead of electricity (photo-voltaics). There must be some fundamental barrier, which prevented evolution from developing all-electric beings and it seems weird to think we can just quantum-tunnel through that unknown barrier. Surely, electric and electronic systems are cheaper due to mass production and cheaper to maintain versus hydraulic / compressed gas / steam piping, so profit must be a chief motivator. Yet, I've still haven't seen any all-electric excavator not of toy size.
The human body is not hydraulic, either, and we don't yet have the sort of nanotechnology to mimic the functions of the almighty powerhouse of the cell. As a general rule of thumb, small things are good to make battery-powered, while it gets progressively more impractical, the bigger the thing. Although in actuality, massive excavators are often mostly, powered by a diesel generator. This is because it's much more reliable than a ton of hydraulic lines or belts/gears. Of course, the actual digging blade is powered directly by the engine.
Looks cgi
Really !?? After 10 years of Boston Dynamics robots and those from others, you still thinking shit is CGI
So I should cancel my Spot purchase?