We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
BOSTON DYNAMICS, THE robotics company Google (now under the umbrella that is Alphabet) bought back in 2013, has been making steady progress with its robots.
Of the many robots it’s testing, there’s one called Spot which can regain its balance after it has been kicked or shoved, while the latest updates comes from its six-foot humanoid robot Atlas.
Now Spot is able to open doors thanks to a new limb and Atlas is becoming more human-like.
The demo shows Atlas walking on rocky terrain, keeping its balance after being hit by an object and walking through the woods without a care in the world.
Boston Dynamics’ founder Marc Raibert talked about how the focus was on “balance and dynamics”, mirroring the way humans and animals walk.
The robot is still tethered to a power source (for now), but it manages to wander down a woodland path without too much trouble.
“I’m not saying it can do everything you can do, but you can imagine if we keep pushing, we’ll get there”, says Raibert. You can imagine they’ll get there sooner rather than later.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Robots first words: ” I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.”
I’m just sayin, skynet
Did they have to base the walking style on a four year old running for the toilet.
I note that you guys included a video from FAB11 that opens with Neil Gershenfeld of MIT.
Which gives me a chance for a bit of a moan again…. Fab11 is the annual Fab Foundation conference during which Fab Academy participants graduate. There are over 500 FabLabs around the world now – some have been funded by national governments, some have EURDF funding, some are privately funded, some through 3rd level institutions and a ton of other funding and sustainability models.
In NI there are 2 fully kitted FabLabs (Belfast & Derry).
In ROI there are 3, all of which began in a far more grass-roots way through different modes of funding. My understanding is (and I could be totally wrong) that none of these labs are fully equipped & struggle for funding.
The last time the Fab Academy course ran was in the NI labs in 2013 and only for some of the staff in those labs. SFAIK there is one Irish person who has graduated Fab Academy.
The opportunities presented by FabLabs (and other makerspaces/hackerspaces etc) has been recognised in tons of other countries – there are about 18 in the UK – I think close to 50 or so in France. The opportunities lie in everything from education to medicine to being a part of a pipeline of development for hardware start ups.
There are tons of people pushing this in Ireland – trying to develop labs and opportunities in Limerick, Leitrim, Tipperary – but nobody seems to be able to get the concept in government. Personally, I find this kind of nuts – a real missed opportunity…..
So google builds deep blue the most advanced AI on the planet give or take and their subsidiary boston dynamics are building walking in the woods humanoid robots. Are they actually deliberately trying to make Terminator a reality or what?
An advanced AI wouldn’t be as much use if it just sat on your desk so these terminator type robots would be much more useful as they could make you tea and cakes between eliminating the opposition. The main point though (I would think) is a truly advanced AI would also need down time like our human brain, so a walk through a wood would be quiet beneficial for then and keep their “destroy all organics” mentality under control, and I for one would prefer them wandering the woods than sat there giving out as I’m trying to have a quiet pint :)
So dope! Science! I would of called the robot “Dos” Run Dos Run!
This
http://www.theonion.com/video/google-shuts-down-gmail-for-two-hours-to-show-its–27610
And this
http://www.theonion.com/article/timeline-googles-history-51066
ahhhhhh Skynet is online. We’re all fu€ked.
have your say