Items tagged with Boston Dynamics
It was just another day for Boston Dynamics, the engineering and robotics design company that gets its jollies from pushing around its mechanical creations. There is a method to the madness—can these piles of metal and electronics maintain (or regain) their balance when shoved around or hit with a hockey stick? That's how the testing goes, at least for the camera. But then something happened. Something utterly disturbing. On this day, the robot fought back. Well, not really. A company called Corridor posted a humorously disturbing video on YouTube by "Bosstown Dynamics," a spoof on Boston Dynamics, as referenced above. In it, the 'engineers' are doing doing their thing, only ratcheted up...
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When the future robot overlords rise up, they will need pets to do their bidding. Perhaps this is where Boston Dynamics' SpotMini robots come in. SpotMini robots look sort of like dogs and can dance, fetch you a beer and even walk up/down stairs. We've seen one twerking its shiny metal butt to Uptown Funk in the past. One significant upside to the robot dogs, compared to real dogs, is that they can walk themselves thanks to an autonomous navigation update last May. SpotMini has also proven unbothered by harassment from its human handlers. The latest video from Boston Dynamics shows a SpotMini and nine of its pals teaming up to tow a box truck. Boston Dynamics says that the truck was towed across...
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Boston Dynamics has wowed us over the years with the capabilities of its robots. From its humanoid Atlas, to its "robotic dog" called SpotMini -- and everything in between -- Boston Dynamics continues to push the envelope for what's possible with our future robot overlords. Last week, we witnessed Atlas jumping over logs and up a three-step platform using a single leg to "push off". This time around, SpotMini is dancing its ass off to "Uptown Funk". We don't think that the SpotMini's dance moves will put Bruno Mars out of a job anytime soon, but it's no doubt impressive to see this four-legged creature doing the running man and hot-stepping all over the place to...
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It's been a while since we've talked about Boston Dynamics here at HotHardware. The last time we checked in with the company, its SpotMini robot dog was walking autonomously through a "mock" house, while the humanoid Atlas was seen taking a causal stroll through the woods. This time around, Boston Dynamics has given us a brief glimpse at the latest iteration of the Atlas, and it's simply amazing. We've seen Atlas perform backflips, climb stairs, pick up objects, jump up onto objects using both feet for launching, and much more. However, in this video, we first see Atlas perform another hop over a log. In the previous demonstration in May, Atlas had to stop, gather its...
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When we think of Boston Dynamics, we think of a company that is bringing us even closer to Skynet. The company produces robots that are capable of incredible feats that make them move and function more like a human (in the case of Atlas) or like a dog (with SpotMini). The company is cranking it up another notch with the latest iterations of these two robots. With Atlas, the humanoid robot is becoming more fluid in its motions and is seen taking a casual jog outside with strides that more closely mimic that of a human. Atlas is seen running on flat land and even up a slight incline. Impressively, it is also shown jumping over a log and landing solidly with both feet. Remember, this is...
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We often joke about the mechanical uprising of intelligent electronics, but behind the laughter is a bit of nervousness. Should the sci-fi scenario ever come to fruition, humans are royally screwed. Proof of this exists in spades at Boston Dynamics. Last week the robotics firm demonstrated a pair of SpotMini robots escaping captivity by twisting a door handle and nudging it open. Now in a new demonstration, the same robotic canine is shown opening the door once again, only this time while being knocked around and generally abused by its human handler. Word of caution before you hit the play button—giving how lifelike these robots look and act, it is an uncomfortable scene to see a human...
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Boston Dynamics continues to frighten and amaze us with each iteration of its acrobatic and highly mobile robots. When we last visited the robotics company, its nearly 6-foot tall Atlas robot was jumping over obstacles and performing backflips (sticking the landing like a boss, we should add). Now, it's Spot Mini's turn to get a little bit of time in the limelight. We first got a glimpse at Spot Mini back in mid-November, but now the robotic dog has been upgraded to perform even more helpful tasks. In this case, a regular Spot Mini walks up to a door, only to be stymied by the door handle. How could the four-legged robot possibly grab the handle, pull it down and walk through on its own? Well,...
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We have seen Boston Dynamics robots pull off some pretty wild stunts over the years, from fetching beer, to walking up stairs, to being brutally assaulted by its human handlers and taking it in stride. However, this latest achievement by a Boston Dynamics Atlas robot simply left our mouths agape. The video starts off impressively enough, with the nearly 6-foot tall Atlas robot jumping onto a short platform, and then from one platform to another. It then jumps down again, only to jump up onto a platform roughly 3-ft tall (give or take a few inches) but the last platform is taller, almost twice as tall. What happens next is nothing short of amazing. Just watch the video... Your eyes do not...
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SoftBank has made yet another notable purchase in the land of tech, this time for Boston Dynamics, an engineering and robotics design company that has built some eerily lifelike robots. Google's parent company Alphabet had been shopping the robotics firm for more than a year after acquiring the company in 2013 and has now found a buyer. Boston Dynamics gained notoriety on the Internet by posting videos of its various robots, including Atlas, a human-like contraption that stands 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. Armed with sensors in its body, legs to balance, and both LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, Atlas is able to assess the terrain and move around like an...
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Boston Dynamics earlier this month referred to one of its creations as a "nightmare-inducing" robot. The company was talking about a wheeled robot named Handle, and what makes it the thing of nightmares is its level of dexterity. Standing upright on two wheels, it is able to zoom forward and backward at a pretty good clip—up to 9 miles per hour. That's fast enough to give chase, if it ever had the inclination, but we did we mention it can jump, too? The ability to leap into the air and over objects (or on top of them) is what gives this robot a new level of Skynet hysteria. Don't get us wrong, we don't really think machines are about to assert their dominance over mankind, but if it truly is...
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Patriot fans are not the only things jumping up and down in Boston right now. Google-owned Boston Dynamics has developed a robot named Handle that moves incredibly quickly and jumps on two wheels. The company has not officially announced it, nevertheless, footage of the robot was leaked on YouTube. Most Boston Dynamics robots incorporate two to four legs, and are intended for use on rough terrain. This latest robot, however, moves on two wheels and must constantly shift its weight to maintain balance. The videos shows the robot lifting and moving a variety of heavy objects. Handle will likely be used in warehouses with smooth, concrete floors. It also appears that it can jump in order to...
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You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out, you put your left foot in and you shake it all about… The Hokey Pokey may be a song and dance that we all learned in elementary school, but a new Boston Dynamics robot is coming close to replicating some of the movements and balancing techniques that we humans take for granted. So we present to you the latest version of the Atlas humanoid robot, which stands 6.2-feet tall and weighs 330 pounds — pretty much equivalent to your typical NFL offensive lineman. In a short video clip released over the weekend, Atlas is seen balancing on one foot atop a 2-centimeter-wide strip of plywood. The robot seemingly handles the feat with aplomb, flailing...
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Boston Dynamics’ future may still be clouded in uncertainty, but that isn’t stopping the robotics company from spitting out new generations of its quadrupedal robots. The latest from the company is the SpotMini, which looks like the cross between a large dog and a miniature giraffe. SpotMini stands two-feet tall and weighs about 55 pounds; add another ten pounds for the creepy arm that has a gripper head/hand at the end. The self-contained robot doesn’t need a tether and can operate for up to 90 minutes on a charge. Boston Dynamics’ last video showed humans abusing a helpless bipedal robot, including knocking it face down onto the floor. SpotMini, however, was shown walking around a house, performing...
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Just last month, Boston Dynamics posted a video demonstrating the capabilities of its latest robot called Atlas. The robot's human-like movements are nothing short of impressive, though we can't help but wonder if the threat of an uprising by these repressed machines is the reason why parent company Alphabet Inc. is now looking to sell Boston Dynamics. We're kidding, of course, at least about the fear of a Skynet scenario playing out in the near future. Alphabet has no worry of these machines rebelling against the tests that its humans creators put them through, such as trying to maintain balance while being pushed around with the end of a hockey stick and carrying objects from point A to point...
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