Engineers have been filmed beating, pushing and torturing a humanoid robot in video that could one day be seen as the beginning of the war between man and machine.
Google-owned Boston Dynamics has released footage of its latest creation, which can walk on two legs and stack boxes by itself. But perhaps the most stunning part of the video is when the robot stops walking — when it is pushed over by a big tube, and then gets right back up again.
The new robot is 5’ 9” and comes in at nearly 13 stone. That means that it is about the same size and heft of an adult male, and it walks and moves like one, though it only looks vaguely humanoid.
Called Atlas, the new creation joins Boston Dynamics range of strange robots, which have also included a dog named Spot revealed last year. That was also treated to a range of tortures, including being kicked as it walked around and forced to walk up icy steps.
Atlas itself is a new incarnation of an older idea. The previous Atlas could move around in a similar way, but needed to be attached to a wire and was much heavier.
Together, the army of robotic creations is expected to eventually make its way into military applications. They might be able to carry equipment for human soldiers or go into dangerous areas — eventually potentially entirely replacing the human military.
