Before the previous model had a chance to rest, Boston Dynamics introduced a more robust iteration of the Atlas robot, capable of movements beyond human capability.
Out with the old, in with the new," as they say. This week, Boston Dynamics bid farewell to HD Atlas, the humanoid robot that made its debut over a decade ago, only to swiftly introduce its successor.
For years, Atlas has both terrified and amused us with its adorable dance moves and impressive parkour flips, sparking fears of an impending robopocalypse that never materialized. Despite its mishaps—falling off boxes, bouncing off tables, rolling down grass hills—Atlas only seemed to grow more endearing, especially when grooving to tracks from "Dirty Dancing."
Just as Atlas was bidding farewell and winding down, yesterday's retirement announcement was swiftly followed by a 40-second short introducing the "All New Atlas" today.
Prepare for some fresh night sweats: The new robot replacement executes incredibly smooth movements that might trick you into thinking they're computer-generated graphics, but they're not. Although Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics has kept details of the new robot under wraps for the most part, CEO Robert Playter revealed to IEEE Spectrum that the New Atlas is "stronger at most of its joints than a person, even an elite athlete, and will possess a range of motion surpassing anything a person can achieve." Oh dear.
Even if you haven't been haunted by Arnold Schwarzenegger's Skynet-commissioned cyborg assassin in the 1984 film "The Terminator," the thought of super-strong, all-terrain, bipedal humanoid robots effortlessly sprinting up steps, executing backflips, and swiftly regaining balance might still give you cause for concern. The possibility that they could be programmed to snap our necks on sight is a chilling one indeed. (And let's not even entertain the idea of giving them laser guns.)
With the Old Atlas, we could reassure ourselves by believing that clever editing masked its struggles with maintaining balance over rough terrain, contrary to the flawless portrayal in the original viral videos. The mishaps depicted in the retirement video validated that suspicion. However, today's video might reignite any fears of robot overlords that you've managed to suppress. This new iteration is undeniably intimidating, and not just because it boasts a ringlight for a face. (Who would have predicted "Robot YouTube influencer" on their 2024 bingo card?)
Equally frightening if you're an Amazon warehouse worker, as the New Atlas could easily handle that job with one three-fingered hand tied behind its matte gray robotic back. However, it's more probable that Hyundai—which acquired Boston Dynamics in 2020, valuing it at $1 billion—will deploy Atlas in its automotive factories soon. "The journey will begin with Hyundai," Boston Dynamics affirmed in a statement announcing the launch of the All New Atlas.
Once more, while no specifics have been disclosed, it's reasonable to assume that the new Atlas will be assigned mundane, repetitive tasks within the Korean company's factories rather than tasks involving laser welding. (Let's not forget, it's best to keep lasers away from robot butlers.)
Hyundai isn't the sole company intending to employ humanoid robots as workers. Preceding Tesla's ongoing development of the Optimus line of humanoid robots, Sanctuary AI of Canada revealed on April 11 that it would be supplying a humanoid robot to Magna, an Austrian automotive firm responsible for assembling cars for Mercedes, Jaguar, and BMW.
In February, Californian robotics startup Figure disclosed that it had secured $675 million in funding from investors including Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon. The company aims to collaborate with OpenAI on developing generative artificial intelligence for humanoid robots.