Despite years of trying, humanoid robots still have problems staying upright, especially in unusual situations, but they are making some progress. Check out this video showing Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot balancing on one foot on the edge of a plywood board about 0.8 inches thick. That’s a huge trick for a robot.
They actually call it a “lucky run,” and it is true. having a robot stay poised for so long in unusual. This balancing act is brief, but keep in mind that most humans wouldn’t even last that long on their first try. Because we suck and are wimps.
One thing is for sure, robots are becoming more agile everyday. This is just further evidence that we have to up our game to compete with these machines.
[via Popular Mechanics via Engadget]