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Leaked Video Shows New 'Nightmare-Inducing' Wheeled Robot From Boston Dynamics (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the living-upto-expectations dept.

Boston Dynamics has a reputation for building robots which push the boundaries of robotics technology, although with a slightly creepy persona. Its latest robot is no different. From a report on The Verge: The company's new wheeled, upright robot is named Handle ("because it's supposed to handle objects") and looks like a cross between a Segway and the two-legged Atlas bot. Handle hasn't been officially unveiled, but was shown off by company founder Marc Raibert in a presentation to investors. Footage of the presentation was uploaded to YouTube by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson. Raibert describes Handle as an "experiment in combining wheels with legs, with a very dynamic system that is balancing itself all the time and has a lot of knowledge of how to throw its weight around." He adds that using wheels is more efficient than legs, although there's obviously a trade-off in terms of maneuvering over uneven ground. "This is the debut presentation of what I think will be a nightmare-inducing robot," says Raibert.

7 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. This is Awesome by Thelasko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So many years have been spent trying to make a robot than can walk. However, this is better. This is a robot that can roller skate. It's faster than walking or running, but just as agile!

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    1. Re:This is Awesome by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Screw warehouse work, just turn that sucker into a Segway-like robot that can carry me. Now jump!

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:This is Awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This looks a bit closer to the motorcycle mechs in Rideback. Once they learn ballet, the robots will be unstoppable...

  2. Daleks by Stonent1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Daleks run on wheels, but they have a weakness, stairs. (Well except until they learned to levitate) Wheels need a flat surface whereas walking legs do not.

    1. Re:Daleks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Daleks run on wheels, but they have a weakness, stairs. (Well except until they learned to levitate)
      Wheels need a flat surface whereas walking legs do not.

      There is no reason robot can't "walk" on virtually any surface by locking wheels. It does have legs after all. Robot could be fitted with or carry interchangeable extra wheels suited for surfaces other than flat asphalt. Pressure inside wheels could be adjusted on the fly to better control traction and stability on rough terrain when needed.

  3. Make it lethal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How long will it take until they will put a gun on it?
    (And use it to control the population?)

  4. Re:"Leaked" by khallow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It would be one thing, if we were digging up ancient general purpose robots and having gone nowhere with them over thousands of years, decided that they weren't that exciting. That would be rational. But to declare that they can't be done merely because they haven't been done before is colossal ignorance. Virtually everything we do today, beyond the rudimentary level of basic life processes, is something that at one point hadn't been done before.