Humanoid robot reaches out

U.S. robotics manufacturer Boston Dynamics presents in a new video how the humanoid robot Atlas transports boards or a barbell without limiting the bipedal robot's ability to walk.

Earlier videos demonstrated how Atlas can jump and run over difficult terrain. When the robot ran through an obstacle course, it still had no hands. In the latest video, which was released on January 18, 2023, the company now shows a construction site scene. Atlas hands a bag of tools to a construction worker, for example. The construction worker is standing on a multi-story scaffold. The humanoid robot skillfully tosses the tool bag up to the construction worker. Finally, it effortlessly performs a backflip with a twist.

Robots on the construction site

In order to recognize and react to objects such as boxes, boards or steps, Atlas uses a color and depth camera.

Atlas' hands are built like claw-like grippers, consisting of one fixed finger and one moving finger. According to Boston Dynamics, the grippers are designed for heavy lifting tasks. In the video, it is shown that before Atlas hands over the tool bag to the construction worker, it must first clear a path by placing a wooden board between a crate and the scaffolding. With the grippers, Atlas has the ability to precisely handle and transport heavy objects. The developers had to make sure that the robot adjusts its posture to prevent it from losing its balance.

More complicated than it seems

The backflip represents the physical limit of what the robot can do, writes heise.de. This complex combination of movements is particularly difficult to program.

Another video shows how exactly the robot perceives and handles things, and it also explains why picking up and carrying an object in robotics is more complicated than it looks: Atlas must first determine its position in relation to the object to be picked up. It then develops a plan to reach the object with its "hand," lifts the object, moves it, and simultaneously calculates the additional weight to avoid losing its balance.

Use on the construction site

Boston Dynamics hopes this will give robots the technological capabilities to take on real, physically demanding tasks. The videos show the robot's ability to move around a construction site and provide an impressive demonstration of what applications in the construction industry or a similar environment might look like.

However, it will be some time before Atlas or similar humanoid robots can work on a real construction site, he said.