Iconic humanoid robot renowned for its groundbreaking capabilities set to retire
- Boston Dynamics is retiring its groundbreaking humanoid robot
- Atlas has got to grips with acrobatics and a host of other antics over the last decade
- But the hilarious montage reveals there have been some stumbles along the way
Published on Apr 17, 2024 at 1:57 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Apr 17, 2024 at 7:25 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Boston Dynamics is sadly retiring its remarkable Atlas humanoid robot – and it’s been a journey.
As the hilarious yet charming montage shows, Atlas has been getting to grips with acrobatics and a whole host of other antics over the last decade.
However, its creator Boston Dynamics announced yesterday (16 April) that it’s time for Atlas to ‘kick back and relax’.
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Boston Dynamics described itself as a ‘global leader in developing and deploying highly mobile robots capable of tackling industry’s toughest challenges’.
“For almost a decade, Atlas has sparked our imagination, inspired the next generations of roboticists, and leapt over technical barriers in the field,” the post read.
“Now it’s time for our hydraulic Atlas robot to kick back and relax.”
The post was anchored on a video showing all the incredible thrills and spills the team behind Atlas has had over the past ten years.
Alongside footage of the team’s hard work, dedication, and Atlas’ amazing achievements resulting from that, there is also some humor.
In clips that make him appear arguably even more human, the bipedal humanoid robot can be seen taking plenty of tumbles during tests on challenging terrain, attempting to climb stairs, and when shoved by members of the team.
Despite this, it’s clear that the agile machine is capable of replicating human movement with groundbreaking accuracy – and some we can’t like parkour and somersaults.
The reason behind Boston Dynamics’ decision to retire Atlas has not been revealed.
Supercar Blondie has reached out to the robotics company for comment.
Impressed? This robot can walk, fly and skateboard.
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It was earlier suggested that Boston Dynamics wanted to commercialize Atlas for warehouse and similar work.
However, it seems that it’s now gone in a different direction after learning from their time spent with Atlas.
The video leaves us with a glimmer of hope, however.
The video signs off with the message: “Til we meet again”.
Time will tell what Boston Dynamics has in store for us in the future.
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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.”
