Oh well, humanoid robots work alone

Boston Dynamics, the brilliant robotics company perhaps best known for orchestrating absurd robo-dance routineshas a new video outlining its pivot to commercial factory work. The three-minute demo shows the company’s robot Atlas in humanoid form locating, grabbing and moving engine covers between supply containers in a simulated production facility. The company claims that Atlas performs all the tasks in the video completely autonomously, without “prescribed or teleoperated movements.”

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Above, Atlas can be seen using his three claw-like fingers to grip the engine covers. Boston Dynamics says Atlas uses a machine-learning vision model to locate and identify the right object, and then uses an array of vision and force sensors to safely move it to the right location. At some point during the video, the perspective changes behind the front cameras or Atlas “eyes” to demonstrate what the robot is seeing. In the first-person view, the engine covers that the Atlas reaches for are highlighted in blue, and the supply container should carry it towards the green glow. Moments later, Atlas appears to misjudge the angle required to load one of the engine covers correctly. The robot suddenly jerks back, reevaluates, and then places the cap in the correct location.

“The robot is able to detect and react to changes in the environment (e.g. mobile devices) and action failures (e.g. failure to insert cap, trigger, environmental collision) using a combination of vision, force and proprioceptive sensors. ” said Boston Dynamics.

Atlas is preparing for a stable job

The Atlas robot featured in Wednesday’s video is a departure from more widely recognized, robust predecessor. That robot, which filled observers with equal parts awe and terror, weighed 330 kilograms and could pull out black flips and parkour moves. Boston Dynamics retired that robot earlier this year and replaced it with a smaller, all-electric version with a circular lamp-like head. While the previous model was largely a proof-of-concept research project, the new Atlas is built for work. Boston Dynamics says the thin, bendy biped robot is designed specifically for commercial work and can already achieve a variety of “real-world applications.” The engine cover demo suggests that the Atlas may be preparing for work in car factories. This would make sense, especially considering that the company was acquired by the Korean manufacturer Hyundai in 2021.

Automobile factories emerged as a frequently cited early use case for the development of humanoid robots. At the beginning of this year, BMW has announced plans to bring humanoid robots from Figure AI in its manufacturing facility in South Carolina. Tesla, which is developing its own “Optimus” robot, has suggested it could play a role in car factories. A recent demo showed what it looked like Tesla robots serve cocktails and strike up conversations with guests. However, reports indicate that these supposedly autonomous robots were actually teleoperated by humans. This deception has led to increased skepticism about their actual viability. At least, Optimus appears to be able to curl up and pet the eggs.

However, if these robots can work as advertised, they could play a role in handling heavy and partly dangerous parts and machinery. Outside of auto amenities, Amazon and others already are testing humanoid robots in the warehouse and logistics settings. Proponents of these bipedal robots believe integrating them with advanced large language models it could help them fulfill more social roles that require conversations with people. All of this, it’s worth noting, still seems relatively distant. Even if Boston Dynamics and its competitors can solve the myriad technical challenges needed to bring humanoid robots into factories, they could face opposition from lawmakers and labor groups opposed to fully automating manufacturing facilities. Getting people comfortable with the idea of ​​working side by side with machines that look like they were shoot straight for a sci-fi horror movie it can also take time.