08/18/2021 9:12 AM
Clarín.com
Technology
Updated 08/18/2021 9:12 AM
Hyundai-owned
robotics firm
Boston Dynamics
shared
a video of Atlas on
Tuesday
in which he successfully performs a new parkour routine
.
Beams and various obstacles jumped - even a backward turn - but the humanoids never lost their coordination.
The session seen in the YouTube video, which so far is close to 500,000 views, took "months" to develop, the company revealed to the Engadget site.
The goal was focused on measuring the
robots' ability to maintain balance
while changing behaviors and coordinating various actions.
While it seems otherwise, this isn't just behavior engineered by Boston Dynamics, either.
As with other recent tests, Atlas now uses images to
adapt its movement while performing a task and can even change course.
However, this particular humanoid class has a
failure rate of around 50 percent
, and there is still a small chance of failure at every step.
"Even a punch at the end of the routine did not go as expected," they acknowledged from Boston Dynamics.
Atlas, in action.
The Boston Dynamics robot went through another successful parkour routine.
In this sense, the company acquired by the South Korean automaker has yet to
perfect the movements
that are limited by the very nature of the robots themselves, such as the lack of spine and arm joints.
In its current form, Atlas is not a mass-production robot like the quadruped Spot that in recent times was employed by various security forces.
This is a research model aimed at
pushing the limits of robotics
.
Boston Dynamics, however, envisions this parkour practice that will lead future helper robots to handle a wide variety of tasks with human-like dexterity.
NYPD breaks with Boston Dynamics
But it's not all good news for the maker of the humanoid Atlas.
The
New York Police
recently terminated its contract with Boston Dynamics, which manufactures
Spot
robot dogs
, a
controversial device
whose use worried part of the population.
The head of intelligence and counterterrorism, John Miller, told The New York Times that
the dog would be returned to Boston Dynamics
and that the decision was related to that the device could become a "target" for its critics.
Initially, the contract was due to end in August.
The Police had acquired, for rent, a copy of the robot last year.
"This dog will save lives, protect people and agents, and that is our goal," the head of technical assistance for field interventions, Frank Digiacomo, told local channel ABC in December.
These robots were characterized by having the necessary tools to
navigate rough terrain
, avoid obstacles, film and collect information about their environment.
They can also be equipped with a movable arm, although that was not the case with the example of this security force from the Big Apple.
In February, during a police intervention, the mechanical dog was sent to explore a public housing building in the Bronx neighborhood after receiving a call indicating that a burglar had barricaded himself in an apartment.
Although nothing was found at the scene, the images caused a stir and concern that the robot could present itself as a potential surveillance tool.
The quadruped, which Boston Dynamics is offering for $ 74,500, was seen again in mid-April in Manhattan during a hostage-taking in which it was not used.
Some perceived it as an illustration of the
New York Police Department's
considered aggressive methods
, especially in relation to minorities.
John Miller told The New York Times that these
criticisms were unjustified
, but "people found a way to turn (the robot) into an evil object."
SL
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