Boston Dynamics reveals retiring humanoid robot Atlas being replaced by fully electric version
- Yesterday Boston Dynamics announced they are retiring their beloved humanoid robot, Atlas
- Today he is back and better than ever
- The new fully-electric Atlas is built on decades of research
Published on Apr 18, 2024 at 3:55 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Apr 19, 2024 at 6:53 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Just one day after Boston Dynamics announced that they were retiring their beloved humanoid robot Atlas, he is back and – according to his creators – better than ever.
The new fully-electric Atlas is built on decades of research and is the next step in the robotics company’s commitment to delivering the most capable, useful mobile robots to solve industry challenges.
Boston Dynamics spoke exclusively to Supercar Blondie, saying: “Today we unveiled a new, fully electric version of Atlas – the new robot is being designed for real-world commercial and industrial applications.”
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Supported by decades of visionary robotics innovation and practical experience from its predecessor, Boston Dynamics is tackling the next commercial frontier.
“The electric version of Atlas will be stronger, with a broader range of motion than any of our previous generations,” they said in a statement.
“Our last generation hydraulic Atlas (HD Atlas) could already lift and maneuver a wide variety of heavy, irregular objects; we are continuing to build on those existing capabilities and are exploring several new gripper variations to meet a diverse set of expected manipulation needs in customer environments.”
And, compared to its clumsy predecessor, the new era will push the limits of whole-body mobility and bimanual manipulation.
While Apple is creating a robot with wheels, Boston Dynamics believes that legged robots – both bipedal and four-legged – can balance and move more dynamically, allowing them to navigate unstructured, unknown, or antagonistic human terrain.
However, while Atlas 2.0 is a bipedal humanoid robot, it doesn’t limit the way it moves.
Boston Dynamics wants the new electric Atlas platform to move as efficiently as possible to complete a task, exceeding human capabilities.
Boston Dynamics is working in collaboration with Hyundai to build the next generation of automotive manufacturing capabilities to test ground for the new Atlas’ applications in the lab, factory, and everyday life.
They will also be working on a complete ecosystem of software and services needed to support autonomous mobile robots.
In fact, these robots are equipped with new AI and machine learning tools, like reinforcement learning and computer vision.
This will allow them to operate and adapt efficiently to real-world situations and the challenges that can be thrown up.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
