Atlas humanoid robot can now tiptoe over rubble to track down wayward humans

In this latest episode of How We're Making Robots That Will Be Able to Hunt You Down Wherever You Go, our old friend the Atlas humanoid robot has learned a scary new trick: walking over pretty much any unexpected obstacle. 

We've seen the Atlas show off its walking and balancing skills before, but in this new demonstration it navigates its way over random, unknown objects of varying sizes. You know, kinda like building rubble a human might hide under after Skynet has already laid waste to the city. 

The important aspect of this demo is the fact that Atlas had no preexisting knowledge of the terrain, so it isn't simply walking a set course, it's actually figuring out how to handle new, foreign objects in its path and adjusting its weight and balance with each step much like a human would.  Read more...