Boston Dynamics puts AlphaDog through more field training, teaches Atlas robot to hike over rocks

Boston Dynamics' sprinting WildCat robot isn't the only autonomous machine it's letting roam the great outdoors: AlphaDog is still trudging through the wilderness too. A flurry of updates to the firm's YouTube channel reveal that the four-legged robot (officially known as the LS3) has been undergoing field testing in Twentynine Palms CA, which included overcoming rough-terrain, GPS guided maneuvers and endurance tests. It's impressive, as always, as is the outfit's progress with Atlas, a bipedal robot that evolved from Boston Dynamics' Petman. The humanoid machine can now negotiate a rocky walkway with relative ease, adding another party trick to its already impressive repertoire. The video updates didn't say if the machines were ready for the DARPA Robotics Challenge later this winter, but you can get an eyeful of the company's progress after the break.