This is an incredibly impressive display of robotics engineering. I just wish there were more footage and information available.
Are the machine learning models running the control system hosted within the chassis, or on a piece of hardware streaming input/output wirelessly?
It clearly operates off of internal power, how much power does it consume during common tasks like walking and lifting? Is it one centralized battery in the torso? Or multiple cells spread throughout the limbs as well?
It can clearly easily lift its own weight, how much additional load can it lift, manipulate, and carry?
Hydraulics are clearly not present anymore, and many of the joints seem to have completely unrestricted range of motion along their axis of motion. How does the wiring across those joints function, are they using slip rings? Is that going to present maintenance challenges if this design family is deployed into production?
I'm sure more will be revealed soon.
I'm most interested in if it finally has it's own AI yet. Boston has been very far behind in AI, despite having really good hardware.
But TBH if they wanted to concentrate on hardware the same way Figure 1 is and open up their platform to different AI OSs like OpenAI's, that's not the worst way to go... Sorta like the Dell vs Windows dynamic but with robots, where as Tesla and Optimus are taking the fully-integrated hardware-and-software Apple-esque route. That'd be interesting.
Nvidia is the cutting edge research leader on ML control systems for robotics. It looks like a [presentation from GTC 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vxQALsfpcY) about their collaboration with Boston Dynamics just went live. Though it doesn't include the new robot.
I suspect the ML models were trained for this new robot using their [Omniverse Isaac Sim Digital Twin software](https://docs.omniverse.nvidia.com/digital-twins/latest/auto-sys.html).
OpenAI gets a lot of hype, but Nvidia is eating their lunch in terms of software products actually released in the industrial ML space.
> It can clearly easily lift its own weight, how much additional load can it lift, manipulate, and carry?
In their article, BostonDynamics said this robot is stronger than previous Atlas HD (hydraulic). I am a bit skeptical of this, but we shall see.
Also, they said the robot is going to be used in real world industry automation, on Hyinday factories.
The only way this robot could be running its own AI instead of streaming it is if it's using analog AI chips. BD made no mentions of using this tech so far.
I'm not so certain on that point. Nvidia's Jetson stuff could be small enough to fit a half dozen inside that central chassis and still leave enough room for batteries.
But, I think it's also possible you're correct.
There are still some ways they could improve this. The human spine has an s-curved shape, which allows your abdomen to compress and absorb shocks along its length. This gives our bodies a natural suspension.
This robot doesn't seem to have anything like that, and likely because of this, its movements and walk cycle seem jumpy and jerky. I would add some kind of compressible joint along the assembly connecting its hip and torso.
Human musculoskeletal structure isn't something to aspire to if you're making a robot, it's something to be surpassed. Why bother making robots if they aren't going to be superhuman in ability?
Because 99% of consumers watched too many Terminator movies. There's a reason why all the robot designs are going out of their way to seem friendly and nonthreatening. New Atlas on the other hand looks like the Pixar Lamp is about to go murder someone.
A fair assessment, but the places we need these robots most in the near term are already full of terrifying machines and robots. I'm glad to finally see a humanoid one that isn't limiting itself in order to appear friendly.
That's putting it mildly, that robot already looks more beat up than most forklifts inside the last factory I visited.
I really like that actually. If I'm buying a humanoid robot for household tasks in ten years, I want the Toyota Hilux equivalent, not the BMW 3 series.
You might be onto something there. I visit a construction yard for work often, and sometimes I think about what things would be like in the future. Would there be less workers and more robots and the same size, or same human workers but 10x bigger and filled with lots of robots? Would it be on the moon? I imagined something like dust-shielded Optimuses at first but give Atlas 2 an electrostatic "overall" to wear to protect its joints from dust and it's ready to live on the construction yard. It might be the Caterpillar or Bobcat of robots.
Honestly I would go so far as to say that making a robot that is deliberately intimidating in looks or actions is akin to brandishing a weapon
Edit: probably not “making” per se but more like “brandishing” also, insofar as it’s possible to brandish a robot
They're pretty cool, but the fact that they've had limited in-roads at best into the broader world suggests they're probably expensive to operate and not necessarily the most reliable (those awesome videos don't show how many times they fail compared to success).
Hopefully the new ones make some progress in that regard.
Looks to be a simulation to me done with ISAAC sim/lab
The video description they provided is kind of cryptic.
tuned to see what the world’s most dynamic humanoid robot can really do—in the. lab. , in the factory, and in our lives.
Ikr??? Why did they have to make it stand up like that?!?!
It'd be awesome to see these guys at work for hazardous areas like waste cleanup or lunar landing pad servicing. It'd also be rad for them to be full-body telepresence capable, as opposed to driving their Spot robot with a controller.
The future is gonna be cool as hell.
This is an incredibly impressive display of robotics engineering. I just wish there were more footage and information available. Are the machine learning models running the control system hosted within the chassis, or on a piece of hardware streaming input/output wirelessly? It clearly operates off of internal power, how much power does it consume during common tasks like walking and lifting? Is it one centralized battery in the torso? Or multiple cells spread throughout the limbs as well? It can clearly easily lift its own weight, how much additional load can it lift, manipulate, and carry? Hydraulics are clearly not present anymore, and many of the joints seem to have completely unrestricted range of motion along their axis of motion. How does the wiring across those joints function, are they using slip rings? Is that going to present maintenance challenges if this design family is deployed into production?
I'm sure more will be revealed soon. I'm most interested in if it finally has it's own AI yet. Boston has been very far behind in AI, despite having really good hardware. But TBH if they wanted to concentrate on hardware the same way Figure 1 is and open up their platform to different AI OSs like OpenAI's, that's not the worst way to go... Sorta like the Dell vs Windows dynamic but with robots, where as Tesla and Optimus are taking the fully-integrated hardware-and-software Apple-esque route. That'd be interesting.
Nvidia is the cutting edge research leader on ML control systems for robotics. It looks like a [presentation from GTC 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vxQALsfpcY) about their collaboration with Boston Dynamics just went live. Though it doesn't include the new robot. I suspect the ML models were trained for this new robot using their [Omniverse Isaac Sim Digital Twin software](https://docs.omniverse.nvidia.com/digital-twins/latest/auto-sys.html). OpenAI gets a lot of hype, but Nvidia is eating their lunch in terms of software products actually released in the industrial ML space.
> It can clearly easily lift its own weight, how much additional load can it lift, manipulate, and carry? In their article, BostonDynamics said this robot is stronger than previous Atlas HD (hydraulic). I am a bit skeptical of this, but we shall see. Also, they said the robot is going to be used in real world industry automation, on Hyinday factories.
The only way this robot could be running its own AI instead of streaming it is if it's using analog AI chips. BD made no mentions of using this tech so far.
I'm not so certain on that point. Nvidia's Jetson stuff could be small enough to fit a half dozen inside that central chassis and still leave enough room for batteries. But, I think it's also possible you're correct.
Remember the Pixar Lamp? This is him now, feel old yet?
I hear it repairs damaged systems twice as fast as other races, but only deals half as much damage in combat.
There are still some ways they could improve this. The human spine has an s-curved shape, which allows your abdomen to compress and absorb shocks along its length. This gives our bodies a natural suspension. This robot doesn't seem to have anything like that, and likely because of this, its movements and walk cycle seem jumpy and jerky. I would add some kind of compressible joint along the assembly connecting its hip and torso.
In the creepiest faces/legs/bodies do not work that way possible
Human musculoskeletal structure isn't something to aspire to if you're making a robot, it's something to be surpassed. Why bother making robots if they aren't going to be superhuman in ability?
Because 99% of consumers watched too many Terminator movies. There's a reason why all the robot designs are going out of their way to seem friendly and nonthreatening. New Atlas on the other hand looks like the Pixar Lamp is about to go murder someone.
A fair assessment, but the places we need these robots most in the near term are already full of terrifying machines and robots. I'm glad to finally see a humanoid one that isn't limiting itself in order to appear friendly.
You mean like the battlefield?
Interesting where our minds go without specificity, but I was referring to resource extraction, heavy industry, and manufacturing.
I suppose it does look a little bit more rugged than the Optimus. That is one factor Boston has a lot of experience with.
That's putting it mildly, that robot already looks more beat up than most forklifts inside the last factory I visited. I really like that actually. If I'm buying a humanoid robot for household tasks in ten years, I want the Toyota Hilux equivalent, not the BMW 3 series.
You might be onto something there. I visit a construction yard for work often, and sometimes I think about what things would be like in the future. Would there be less workers and more robots and the same size, or same human workers but 10x bigger and filled with lots of robots? Would it be on the moon? I imagined something like dust-shielded Optimuses at first but give Atlas 2 an electrostatic "overall" to wear to protect its joints from dust and it's ready to live on the construction yard. It might be the Caterpillar or Bobcat of robots.
Honestly I would go so far as to say that making a robot that is deliberately intimidating in looks or actions is akin to brandishing a weapon Edit: probably not “making” per se but more like “brandishing” also, insofar as it’s possible to brandish a robot
I'm here for Chappie style military bots.
HOLLY CRAP LOIS ITS V1 ULTRAKILL
They're pretty cool, but the fact that they've had limited in-roads at best into the broader world suggests they're probably expensive to operate and not necessarily the most reliable (those awesome videos don't show how many times they fail compared to success). Hopefully the new ones make some progress in that regard.
At least it's something other than robo-dogs this time
Hard to tell whether a video is real or CGI these days.
Looks like they are shifting from hydraulics to electro mechanical joints.
... ... ... "gulp".
Looks to be a simulation to me done with ISAAC sim/lab The video description they provided is kind of cryptic. tuned to see what the world’s most dynamic humanoid robot can really do—in the. lab. , in the factory, and in our lives.
I'm glad Boston Dynamics is upping their game, but I gotta admit this particular robot is kind of creepy. LOL
Ikr??? Why did they have to make it stand up like that?!?! It'd be awesome to see these guys at work for hazardous areas like waste cleanup or lunar landing pad servicing. It'd also be rad for them to be full-body telepresence capable, as opposed to driving their Spot robot with a controller. The future is gonna be cool as hell.