Boston Dynamics’ Newest Robot Is a Marvel to Behold

The future is certainly here.

On Tuesday, Boston Dynamics, which “builds advanced robots with remarkable behavior,” unveiled their latest “Atlas” robot in a video on YouTube. The robot is designed to operate both in and outdoors. Judging by the 1.5 million views the video has received in less than 24 hours, people everywhere are amazed by what the robot can actually do.

From Boston Dynamics YouTube page:

“[Atlas] is specialized for mobile manipulation. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses sensors in its body and legs to balance and LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, assess the terrain, help with navigation and manipulate objects. This version of Atlas is about 5′ 9″ tall (about a head shorter than the DRC Atlas) and weighs 180 lbs.”

As seen in the video demonstration, the Atlas robot can navigate both flat, dry surfaces inside, but astoundingly traverses rough, snow-covered terrain in the woods outside the company’s Waltham, Massachusetts, headquarters.

Watch the incredible video demonstration here.

According to Boston Dynamics website, Atlas is the ninth robot they’ve created. The company has unveiled a series of different robots over the last couple years, most prominently the LS3 Legged Squad Support Systems robot, a four-legged robot with a body structure not unlike a bull.

But Atlas looks like it may grab the attention of companies like UPS, FedEx, or Amazon, as the machine demonstrates an incredible ability to handle lightweight packages for moving and shipping.

With Atlas, the question no longer seems to be if robots will enter the workforce, but when.