The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) ATLAS robot has already secured its place in the pantheon of humanoid robotics, but a new version of the bot shows significant progress beyond its aesthetically crude beginnings.
ATLAS Unplugged, unveiled on Tuesday, delivers a sleek new look and improved functionality, edging the robot ever closer to becoming a fully functional humanoid robot that may one day work alongside humans. The update represents a 75% upgrade in parts over the robot's previous version.
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Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing in at 345 pounds (about the size and weight of an NFL linebacker), ATLAS' latest version runs on a more powerful battery pack (a 3.7-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, giving it one hour of operation), does not require a safety tether (as with previous ATLAS versions) and will offer improved wireless communications with its handler.
Redesigned by Boston Dynamics (which was acquired by Google in 2013), DARPA claims that ATLAS Unplugged is quieter and stronger than previous versions, enabling the robot to more easily lift itself up if it falls.
Whether the new design was inspired by Boston Dynamics' new, consumer-focused parent company or was just the result of a simple iterative progress in the lab, ATLAS Unplugged has ditched its wire-centric exposed insides and overall industrial-prototype look in favor of a shiny white chest plate -- emblazoned with the Boston Dynamics logo -- and similarly white plastic-swathed legs shaped like human thighs.
The new ATLAS robot was presented as a part of DARPA's annual Robotics Challenge, which pits teams of roboticists against each other, as they devise better ways to use the robot in situations where wireless communication between it and its human handler may be degraded.
This year's competition will be held from June 5 to 6, and will award a grand prize of $2 million.