When you picture what the future will look like, you surely see a world full of robots. But did you ever imagine those robots doing backflips?
There’s no need to even imagine it now, because it’s already a reality.
Boston Dynamics, the Massachusetts company that says it is “changing your idea of what robots can do,” has already brought us technological achievements like the cheetah robot that can run faster than Usain Bolt and the “Handle” robot, which basically looks like a metal horse on wheels.
Boston Dynamics is also responsible for the Atlas, a robot that basically resembles a human figure in a space suit. The company describes it as “the world’s most dynamic humanoid.” The robot walks on two legs and keeps its balance even when jostled or pushed, and can even get itself back up if tipped all the way over.
Now, the Atlas can also do backflips.
Boston Dynamics posted a new video on Thursday to its YouTube page titled, simply, “What’s new, Atlas?” The barely one-minute-long video shows the human-esque robot jumping onto blocks, jumping and spinning around, and ultimately landing a backflip, even raising its robot arms at the end like a mechanical gymnast.
Though Atlas’s skills are interesting, previous popular videos of the robot have also shown its fails, because who doesn’t like to see a robot fall over or make mistakes? Maybe witnessing a robot fall helps stymie the fear of their eventual world domination.
And of course, a perfect backflip takes a few tries, so this video is no different. Stick to the end of the video to see Atlas fall flat on its electronic face.
Boston Dynamics began as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the company’s site.
It’s responsible for the first-ever robots that “ran and maneuvered like animals,” and plans to take the next robotic step forward to combine dynamic control and balance with “cutting-edge” electronics and software that allows for “perception, navigation and intelligence.”
Meaning, of course, that this is not the last robot innovation we’ll see from the company. Check out its other robots here.
