Google-owned Boston Dynamics created a formidable robot which has been programmed to recreate one of the popular scenes from the hit 1984 flick 'The Karate Kid.' The Atlas robot, also known as 'Ian,' has a height of 6 feet 2 inches with a weight that measures a whopping 330 lbs. The latter can be attributed to the fact that it's made up of a stereo vision and 28 hydraulically actuated joints. It is one of the highly advanced robots ever been made.
Part of a robotics project, Ian will be able to help researchers in developing automatons which can replace humans to perform hazardous tasks such as fighting fires. In a demonstration, Ian showed that it can do various activities such as traversing terrains that are uneven and difficult, carrying objects like firehoses, and getting inside a car and driving it. Furthermore, it knows how to use both of its hands and feet when climbing over the trickiest obstacles.
"To achieve this level of maneuverability in robots, researchers at Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) look toward nature," said by the IHMC team.
Ian's head is built with two cameras and a laser rangefinder which aids it in achieving a deep perception in performing more tasks as compared to other robots. It can even turn its head when it needs to have a better view of the surroundings.
Ian is powered by an electric generator which is connected to it by a cable and therefore should always be placed near it. Eventually, this type of restriction will be eliminated in the near future.
IHMC's latest version of Atlas demonstrates a new trick that it has learned from the training. In the video, it appeared to be copying the popular scene from the 1984 flick 'The Karate Kid' when the lead actor is trying to keep his balance on top of a piece of log by the beach. So far, Ian showed that it is also capable of doing the balancing tricks which absolutely deserve an applause considering the massive weight that it needs to carry.
"Inspired by the speed of cheetahs, the endurance of horses, the maneuverability of monkeys, and the versatility of humans, IHMC researchers are on a quest to develop legged robots that are fast, efficient, and graceful, with the mobility required to access many of the same places that humans can," said the IHMC team.
