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Researchers train robot dog to pick itself back up after a fall
Researchers have taught a robot dog to overcome one of the toughest challenges for a four-legged droid: how to get back up after a fall. In a paper published in the Science Robotics journal, its Swiss creators describe how they trained a neural network in a computer simulation to make the ultimate guard bot. Then they went and kicked the canine around in real life (because that's what researchers do) to see if their technique worked. It did: the robot's digital training regimen made it 25 times faster, more resilient, and able to adapt to any given environment, according to the team.
Latest Spot demo puts a Boston Dynamics robot to work
After dropping a stunning "Parkour" video for its humanoid Atlas robot earlier today, Boston Dynamics followed up with this more subdued look at a commercial application for its technology. In a video similar to lab tests we've seen before, this sensor-laden Spot robot (there's even one in its "hand" that you can see it using above, Watcher-style) took a stroll around a couple of construction sites while carrying a pack to survey human compliance work progress. In June, president Marc Raibert said the company had 10 prototypes built already ahead of sales next year and this one looks like it's ready to go. The video's description indicates these will be released in the second half of 2019, so if you'd like to start doing some extra cardio now then that would be good.
Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot shows upgraded agility in 'Parkour' video
Just two years ago Boston Dynamics proudly showed off a new generation of its Atlas robot that could take an untethered stroll through the woods, before advancing to balancing on one leg and even landing a backflip.
Humanoid construction robot installs drywall by itself
If Japan's Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Institute has its way, construction workers might be a thing of the past. Researchers have built HRP-5P, a humanoid bot that can handle a variety of construction tasks when there's either a staffing shortage or serious hazards. The prototype uses a mix of environment detection, object recognition and careful movement planning to install drywall by itself -- it can hoist up boards and fasten them with a screwdriver.
MIT's Cheetah robot doesn't need eyes to climb, run and jump
Many robots depend on cameras and other visual sensors to find their way around the world. But that's not always realistic -- it can be too dark, too chaotic or even play tricks. Thankfully, MIT is prepared. The latest version of its Cheetah robot, Cheetah 3, can run, climb and even jump using contact detection alone -- effectively, while it's blind. The cat-like automaton relies on a pair of algorithms to both 'feel' its way around (much as you would feel your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night) and figure out the best way to move forward.
Boston Dynamics' robots won't be held back by puny humans
Are you looking for the exact moment when the robots decide to turn on their human creators? You might want to mark this day on your calendar. Boston Dynamics has posted video of a SpotMini test where it gauged the bot's ability to adjust to interference -- in this case, from a pesky human. The quadruped managed to open a door despite a human pushing its hand down with a hockey stick, pushing the door closed and even tugging on its 'tail.' It clearly struggled, but its ability to adapt and rebalance left it unfazed.
