Army robot refuses to be pushed over

Meet Atlas, a humanoid robot capable of crossing rough terrain and maintaining its balance on one leg even when hit from the side. And WildCat, the four-legged robot that can gallop untethered at up to 16mph (26km/h). These are the latest creations of Boston Dynamics, a US robotics company part-funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa). The robots are part of Darpa's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation programme. Darpa says such robots "hold great promise for amplifng human effectiveness in defence operations". Referring to Atlas's ability to remain balanced despite being hit by a lateral weight, Noel Sharkey, professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC: "This is an astonishing achievement... quite a remarkable feat." This version of Atlas is one of seven humanoid robots Boston Dynamics is developing in response to the Darpa Robotics Challenge. In December, competing robots will be set eight tasks to test their potential for use in emergency-response situations, including crossing uneven ground, using power tools and driving a rescue vehicle. Darpa wants to improve the manoeuvrability and controllability of such robots while reducing manufacturing costs. WildCat strike? Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. //

Army robot refuses to be pushed over 2013-10-07T12:00:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999