Boston Dynamics fits Atlas humanoid robot with wheels
The experimental upgrade swaps the robot's feet for scooter wheels, letting it roll, jump, and dash under a learned controller.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
What happened
Boston Dynamics swapped the feet on one of its electric Atlas humanoid robots for scooter wheels and let a learned controller take over. A custom adapter attaches scooter rims to the existing ankle actuators, and it is the only new part. The wheeled Atlas was shown performing a 360-degree spinning jump, rolling sideways, and dashing.
Why it matters
The reports describe the upgrade as experimental, showing the robot can move in new ways without major new hardware.
Timeline
- Nov 9, 7:37 PM ET: Atlas was shown performing a 360-degree spinning jump on wheels instead of feet.
- Nov 9, 8:44 PM ET: Boston Dynamics said Atlas can now roll sideways and perform 360-degree jumps after an experimental wheeled upgrade.
Coverage
- Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot performs a 360-degree jump on wheels (interestingengineering.com)
- Atlas pulls off a 360-degree spinning jump on wheels instead of feet ... Hyundai advances robot control technology (en.fnnews.com)
- Boston Dynamics adds wheels to Atlas humanoid to test whole-body control (therobotreport.com)
- Boston Dynamics Puts Atlas Humanoid on Wheels and Watches the Robot Roll, Jump, and Dash (techeblog.com)
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