Boston Dynamics reveals new 'terrifying' Atlas robot after retiring legendary ... trends now
Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new version of its Atlas humanoid robot, showing its creepy movements that make it look like something out of a sci-fi horror movie.
The Massachusetts-based robotics company shared a video of the latest humanoid, showing it pulling its leg behind its heads to stand up - in a way that the public said 'looked like something out of The Exorcist.'
This new version boasts joints that let the machine bend and move in ways that the human body can't - unlike the original, rigid Atlas that was famous for dancing and doing parkour.
The company also plans to sell the latest humanoid robot, but the price has yet to be disclosed, and it is set to begin its first job at Hyundai's factories next year.
Boston Dynamics announced the new version of its humanoid robot Atlas, featuring a ring light as its face.
The new robot appeared to move completely different compared to the old one, which was shown in the video announcement.
In the clip, new Atlas can be seen rising from the floor with eerie, smooth precision before rotating 180 degrees at the waist and neck.
The old Atlas had hydraulic actuators at its joints, which moved by pumping pressurized fluid in and out of them.
This type of system is powerful, enabling the robot to run and jump with twitching speed and intensity.
But it's not very smooth, and the robot could only move each joint about 20 degrees.
Human elbows, by comparison, can bend about 130 to 153 degrees.
For the new Atlas, Boston Dynamics ditched the hydraulics in favor of an all-electric design.
This offers multiple advantages, the company has claimed: The electric motors in the joints will be stronger than the hydraulic actuators, and they will offer a broader range of motion.
The new Atlas can rotate 360 degrees at all of its joints.
The new design will also give the robot more ways to grip and carry objects, Boston Dynamics claimed.
The new Atlas has all electric joints that can swivel 360 degrees, so even though it looks humanoid, it can move much more flexibly than the human body can.
This is important because Boston Dynamics intends for the new Atlas to be used in manufacturing, carrying parts to and from the assembly line.
Therefore, it's important for Atlas 'to meet a diverse set of expected manipulation needs in customer environments,' according to the company's announcement.
In other words, it will be able to carry different things.
This robot is not a forklift with legs, though. In fact, it is not even meant to be able to carry boxes at all.
In many cases, the parts entrusted to Atlas will be bulky, or they will be unusually shaped, so it's important for the robot's arms to be able to accommodate many different shapes and sizes.
And while it is shaped like a human, the robot is designed to move 'in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion.'
In the announcement video, Atlas can be seen slowly rising from the floor, unencumbered by the
