The Atlas and Spot robots of Boston Dynamics can do so many things such as sprinting, gymnastics, backflips, opening doors to allow entry of an army of their friends, washing dishes, and a whole lot more.
However, the latest video shown by the company adds another impressive trick to the repertoire of robotic overlords of the future, the "busting sick dance moves."
This dog-like robot has been functioning by opening doors and briskly covering ground at terrifying speeds. More so, its signature artistry has even motivated an evil "Black Mirror" episode featuring far-future, robotic human hunters. However, Spot may not be Skynet's indicator that most Artificial Intelligence observers want to think it is.
According to The Verge, the video exhibits the whole lineup of robots which include "humanoid Atlas, the dog-shaped Spot and the box-juggling handle," all coming together in a bopping, synchronized dance routine set to the tune of "Do You Love Me" by The Contours.
This is not the first time for Boston Dynamics to show off the dancing skills of its robots. Specifically, the company exhibited a video of its Spot robot showing off its "Running Man" dance move to the tune of "Uptown Funk" in 2018.
New Video
This year, the new video has taken things to another level, featuring the Atlas robot hitting the dancefloor "smoothly running, jumping, shuffling, and twirling through different moves," The Verge described.
Things have turned out to be more incredible as more robots are filing out, dancing around in the kind of synchronized routine.
Compared the Atlas's erratic movements of 2016 iteration, this new model nearly looks like a CGI invention.
The company was recently acquired by Hyundai, the company which purchased robotics from the famous robotics company, Softbank, closing more than one-billion-dollar deal.
Boston Dynamics Robots
Boston Dynamics started out as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The firm has developed robots through the use of DARPA funding, including the BigDog, although it is most famously known for viral popularity its robots have discovered online.
Boston Dynamics' two main stars include Atlas, the humanoid bipedal robot that can do various things, as mentioned, like backflips for one; and smaller Spot, a quadrupedal "dog" that has been tried in various scenarios ranging from sheep herding to playing assistant to health care workers during the pandemic.
Furthermore, the company began selling Spot middle of 2020 for roughly $74,000, eyeing businesses that look for a digital way to guard and inspect warehouses.
Amid the viral popularity, according to Bloomberg, Boston Dynamics "has not been profitable in recent years," which could change with its new guidance of the CEO and Hyundai.
Essentially, the industrial robots of Hyundai have been concentrated on factories in its automotive comfort zone which include a legged car theme that the firm visualized, could be used by initial responders to travel through difficult terrain.
Lastly, as Atlas and Handle robots introduced are still just research models, and as mentioned, Boston Dynamics has recently began selling Spot robot to any firm for a price of more than $70,000.
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