The Impressive Evolution of Boston Dynamics Robots – Interesting Engineering

Boston Dynamics has come a long way from their introduction of BigDog.

When you think of robots, you most definitely think of Boston Dynamics. The firm has throughout the years produced more and more robots that can do everything from washing the dishes to doing gymnastics.

Their initial models featured some setbacks like BigDog, which was deemed too loud for combat use.But with each new development, they became more and more adept at making more practical robots.

Cheetah and WildCat were running robots based on canines, as their names indicate. In 2009, Boston Dynamics introduced PETMAN, the firms first humanoid robot developed to test the performance of protective military gear against chemical warfare agents.

But Boston Dynamics would only really progress with the arrival of the now-famous Spot in 2015.

Spot can climb terrains, avoid obstacles, see 360-degrees, and perform several programmed tasks. Recently, Spot was even given an arm enabling it to do a variety of tasks, such as picking up fragile objects, opening doors, and even doing the laundry.

Then there was Altlas that came with stereo vision and range sensors that allow it to navigate and manipulate objects, Handle, a combination of wheels and legs, and Strech, a commercial version of Handle designed to move boxes in a warehouse.

In June, Hyundai officially acquired Boston Dynamics. What will this change mean for robotics? We explore the answer and more in our video.

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The Impressive Evolution of Boston Dynamics Robots - Interesting Engineering