TORONTO -- Robotics company Boston Dynamics has revealed the latest advances to its humanoid creation Atlas, which can now do a gymnastics routine.
In a video titled “More Parkour Atlas” posted on Tuesday, the robot can be seen performing a hand-stand, forward rolls, jumps and jump-twists.
“We created the manoeuvres using new techniques that streamline the development process,” Boston Dynamics explains in the video caption.
“First, an optimization algorithm transforms high-level descriptions of each maneuver into dynamically-feasible reference motions. Then Atlas tracks the motions using a model predictive controller that smoothly blends from one maneuver to the next.
“Using this approach, we developed the routine significantly faster than previous Atlas routines, with a performance success rate of about 80 per cent.”
A video posted to the company’s YouTube channel in October 2018, titled "Parkour Atlas," shows the robot easily running up steps onto a platform.
Boston Dynamics claims Atlas is the ”world’s most dynamic humanoid robot” with “the power and balance to demonstrate human-level agility.”
Atlas, which weighs 80 kilograms and stands 4’ 5” tall, has 28 hydraulic joints powered by custom motors and valves.
