The Atlas Robot
Components/parts: Atlas has four hydraulically-actuated limbs. Constructed of aluminum and titanium, Atlas is equipped with two vision systems – a laser rangefinder and stereo
cameras, both controlled by an onboard computer – and has hands with fine motor skill capabilities. Its limbs possess a total of 28 degrees of freedom.Atlas can navigate rough terrain and climb independently using its arms and legs.
Fonction/Use: Atlas is a humanoid robot developed by the American robotics company Boston
Dynamics.The development of this new humanoid Was financed by Darpa, the (US Army Research Agency) .This robot is designed for a variety of search and rescue tasks. The future of the Atlas Robot is about saving human lives. An
example that the scientists and engineers who are improving Atlas use for the purpose of the robot is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. If a robot could drive a vehicle, open doors, and
explore where humans could not, and turn valves, the damage would have been much more controlled. Atlas’ purpose is to save humans, so the future of this robot is for it to do anything that a
human can’t to keep humans safe.
Characteristics:
it stands approximately 5.9 feet tall 1,52 meters
weighs 330 pounds (150 kg)
One aspect that these robots may or may not be developing is co-robot capabilities--the ability to move and work around humans
without hurting them. One scene in the current video shows Atlas following a human, apparently to carry is pack or some such. However, the human provoker in the video who pushes
Altas over and taunts it by moving the box it is trying to pick up out of range, uses a hockey stick to keep his distance from the robot,
appearing afraid to get too close.
One aspect that these robots may or may not be developing is co-robot capabilities--the ability to move and work around humans
without hurting them. One scene in the current video shows Atlas following a human, apparently to carry is pack or some such. However, the human provoker in the video who pushes
Altas over and taunts it by moving the box it is trying to pick up out of range, uses a
hockey stick to keep his distance from the robot, appearing afraid to get too close.
Boston Dynamics classical leg (left) used external hydraulic hoses and servo-valves, that are build into the 3-D printed leg of the new Atlas (right) which lowers its cost--to Google--and makes it operate more reliably, according to Boston Dynamics.
(Source: Boston Dynamics)
Atlas robot, which previously demonstrated its ability to walk across rough terrain and take all kinds of abuse from its creators, has now mastered a new, and even more terrifying skill: balancing on one foot.
In the video below, from IMHC Robotics, Atlas showcases its new skill, balancing on one foot on a narrow piece of plywood for almost a full thirty seconds, which is way better than a lot of humans.
Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD6Okylclb8
Following the integration of
a new lidar in its detection device,
the robot manages to avoid the various obstacles placed on its route. Thus, thanks to better coordination, it can open the doors, grab and move a cardboard delicately.
Perhaps the most striking part of the video is not the incredibly long time it spends balancing, but the remarkably human-like way it tries to regain its balance at the end. In a fraction of a second, the robot leans its weight to the side, rotates its torso, and shifts its foot placement.