The humanoid robot Atlas made by Boston Dynamics can now do backflips and jump up on blocks.
The 5-foot-9-inch prototype developed for military use has been shown in previous videos lifting objects, opening doors and walking through rough terrain. Its maker, Boston Dynamics, was recently sold by Google’s parent company Alphabet to SoftBank.
The robot’s makers use sensors to balance its movements and light detection with radar and stereo sensors in its “head” to navigate, move objects, and avoid obstacles, according to a Boston Dynamics YouTube video from 2016.
In the new video, Atlas is first shown jumping between the floor and large boxes, then it does a backflip from atop a block, landing solidly.
In an outtake at the end of the video, Atlas amusingly does a backflip but can't stick the landing, hopping forward and crashing into the block, landing on its head.
Some Twitter users were a little nervous about the rapidly advancing abilities of Atlas in an age where experts often talk about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
Others just thought it was beyond cool.
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