You don’t have to have been petrified by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Skynet-commissioned cyborg murderer in 1984’s The Terminator to stress that super-strong, all-terrain, bipedal humanoid robots sprinting up steps, pulling backflips, and righting themselves could possibly be programmed to interrupt our necks on sight. (And laser weapons, by no means give them laser weapons.)
With the Previous Atlas, we may consolation ourselves with the notion that intelligent enhancing meant Atlas wasn’t as self-righting over tough floor as the unique viral movies portrayed. The pratfalls within the retirement video show that hunch was appropriate. Nevertheless, at this time’s video may nicely resurrect any robotic overlord fears you could have since suppressed. This factor is frightening, and never simply because it has a ringlight for a face. (Who had “Robotic YouTube influencer” on their 2024 bingo card?)
It was good realizing you, Previous Atlas—you superior, pratfalling, parkouring, metallic man machine.
Scary, too, when you’re an Amazon warehouse employee, as a result of the New Atlas may do this job with one three-fingered hand tied behind its matte grey robotic again. Extra seemingly, nonetheless, is that Hyundai—which purchased Boston Dynamics in 2020, valuing it at $1 billion—may quickly set Atlas to work in its automobile factories. The “journey will begin with Hyundai,” confirmed Boston Dynamics in a press release asserting the All New Atlas launch.
Once more, no particulars have been launched, however we will surmise that the brand new Atlas will likely be given uninteresting, repetitive duties within the Korean firm’s factories somewhat than, say, laser welding. (Bear in mind, preserve lasers away from robotic butlers.)
Hyundai isn’t the one firm planning to make use of humanoid robots as employees. Beating Tesla’s still-in-development Optimus line of humanoid robots, Sanctuary AI of Canada introduced on April 11 that it might be delivering a humanoid robotic to Magna, an Austrian automotive agency that assembles automobiles for Mercedes, Jaguar, and BMW.
And Californian robotics startup Determine introduced in February that it had raised $675 million from buyers akin to Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon to work with OpenAI on generative synthetic intelligence for humanoid robots.
A general-purpose humanoid robotic that may study on the fly. What may presumably go unsuitable with that?
