INQUISITR.COM / Science & Tech

Robot Does Backflip, Looks Like Faceless Humanoid — Atlas Robot From Boston Dynamics Stuns The Masses

By Roz Zurko
Published on: 11:41 PST, Nov 17, 2017

There is really no way to describe the humanoid Atlas robot that was created by the technology experts from Boston Dynamics. It is hard to believe there is not a human inside, except there is no inside for a human to fit into. The 5-foot-9-inch robot is the size of a human, making him even more ominous appearing when he starts moving.

This Atlas robot mimics the movements of a human, which is extremely evident when it is balancing and mounting a backflip. The Verge, describing this robot’s ability to do a backflip, writes, “one small backflip for a robot is one giant leaping backflip for mankind.” Once you take a gander at the Atlas robot in action in the video above, you will understand what The Verge is talking about.

It was a while back when a video of this same type of Atlas robot was released from Boston Dynamics and it showed how the robot could pick up packages and walk around with them. The robot mimicked human movements at the time, but now that they’ve tweaked this robot to give it abilities that many humans can’t do, it is a jaw-dropping experience to watch the robot in action. Boston Dynamics has come a long way from their earlier days of creating robots.

Engadget suggests, “We’ve grown accustomed to seeing Boston Dynamics’ impressive line-up of robots strutting about in periodic video updates, each more terrifying than the last.” With each new video of these robots, they seem to push the envelope just a little more. Each time you see the improvements in this robot technology, it puts your imagination on overdrive, pondering all the applications this technology might have in today’s world.

The last time Boston Dynamics released a video of their high-tech robots, the robot was navigating through some rough terrain in an upright position. Getting around on two legs was an amazing feat of technology, as the robot was walking, not rolling, crawling, or sliding. It walked just like a human would in that upright position, showing its amazing capability to balance like a human.

Today the robot stands, then pushes off into a back flip just like an Olympic athlete. It’s landing is amazing, and it is an exciting clip to watch, suggests Engadget.

To get an idea of the evolution of the Boston Dynamics robots, from wheels to legs, check out the video below. You might say the human-like and dog-like robots look a bit creepy wandering aimlessly in the woods, but this technology may be seen in many venues in the future, like the military and law enforcement. The Atlas robot’s backflip is a groundbreaking feat, but The Verge is asking — what could it be used for?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=YnDZMg-DQbQ

[Featured Image by Willyam Bradberry/Shutterstock]

Share this article: Robot Does Backflip, Looks Like Faceless Humanoid — Atlas Robot From Boston Dynamics Stuns The Masses
More from Inquisitr