I don't know enough about robotics to judge BD's technology or innovations. What I can be sure of is that they have an incredible marketing function.
An electric new era for Atlas
51–60 of 443 posts
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#52Funny, just after the all electric Optimus.
For sure they have been working on this for a long time.
I predict that they will also move toward neural nets for all the vision, control and understanding of the world (like Tesla)
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#53So it begins. John, where are you?
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#54A hill I'm willing to die on: bipedal robots are an evolutionary path that machines don't need to go down, we have lovely bearings and wheels that work perfectly with electric motors. Yes obviously there are limitations i.e. stairs and uneven terrain but there are wheeled/tracked solutions for those too Most of these robots will be used in factories that have very nice flat concrete floors
Agreed. It seems to go hand-in-hand with people wanting to demonstrate humanoid robots doing domestic chores like shirt folding. I'd go out on a limb and say that we will NEVER have humanoid robots at home folding laundry, walking upstairs to put it away, or putting away the dishes in the kitchen. This is a 1960's sci-fi vision of the future, similar to that of flying cars. Any robot capable of fully navigating the h…
The problem with that “1960s vision” is thinking to literally about having robots do exactly what humans do now. Likely there is a creative way to solve the need for humans to do those tasks via automation, but it’s not likely to look like a humanoid robot folding laundry.
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#55The VCs said "don't be afraid," AI wasn't going to be Skynet. Rather it would a tool that would bring about a utopia of human flourishing.
But it was always going to be Skynet.
I bet the next version will have teeth.
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#56I'm thinking the humanoid approach to robotics is now a gimmick. In most--if not all--cases, a robot in human form is not necessary at all if the approach is to get work done.
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#57BD is done with hydraulics. I wonder how good this new robot will be at powerful, dynamic movements such as leaps and flips.
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#58A hill I'm willing to die on: bipedal robots are an evolutionary path that machines don't need to go down, we have lovely bearings and wheels that work perfectly with electric motors. Yes obviously there are limitations i.e. stairs and uneven terrain but there are wheeled/tracked solutions for those too Most of these robots will be used in factories that have very nice flat concrete floors
I think we very much do. Robots are currently very expensive, so where do you want to send a robot that you can't use a worker? Probably somewhere at least potentially dangerous.
You want to use the robot to inspect a tunnel in danger of collapse, or a factory that may be leaking a poisonous chemical out of a pipe.
And in such cases you very much want something that can navigate obstacles about as well as a human. You can't count on the area being devoid of rubble, and rebuilding a factory to make it wheeled robot friendly could be an enormously expensive and impractical proposition.
Now humanoids? We already designed everything for us. A good enough humanoid robot can go anywhere a person can, and manipulate anything a human was intended to touch.
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#59A hill I'm willing to die on: bipedal robots are an evolutionary path that machines don't need to go down, we have lovely bearings and wheels that work perfectly with electric motors. Yes obviously there are limitations i.e. stairs and uneven terrain but there are wheeled/tracked solutions for those too Most of these robots will be used in factories that have very nice flat concrete floors
I think we very much do. Robots are currently very expensive, so where do you want to send a robot that you can't use a worker? Probably somewhere at least potentially dangerous. You want to use the robot to inspect a tunnel in danger of collapse, or a factory that may be leaking a poisonous chemical out of a pipe. And in such cases you very much want something that can navigate obstacles about as well as a human. Yo…
drones, my friend
Re: An electric new era for Atlas
#60A hill I'm willing to die on: bipedal robots are an evolutionary path that machines don't need to go down, we have lovely bearings and wheels that work perfectly with electric motors. Yes obviously there are limitations i.e. stairs and uneven terrain but there are wheeled/tracked solutions for those too Most of these robots will be used in factories that have very nice flat concrete floors
The ultimate goal is to produce general-purpose robots. If we want robots that can do everything a human can, then legs are definitely useful. One simple example: getting in and out of a car. Another thing to consider is that a legged robot can tilt itself for balance while carrying heavy objects. To carry a similar weight with a wheeled robot you'll need a much wider wheel base. And then of course, if you want to bu…
In my opinion your argument assumes there would be a single form factor for robots that will be used everywhere. This assumption has generally been false for most technology, look at the different cars or personal computer. In my opinion, we will have as many kinds of robots as there are breeds of dogs, some of which will be bipedal, but most of them will make do with wheels.