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Thumbnail image of Atlas (2013)

Atlas (2013)

Details

Atlas is a hulking humanoid robot that can walk over rough terrain and manipulate objects. It looks like the Terminator, but it was designed as a rescue robot as part of the DARPA Robotics Challenge.

Creator
Boston Dynamics and DARPA
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Year
2013
Type
Humanoids, Military & Security, Disaster Response
Creator
Boston Dynamics and DARPA
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Year
2013
Type
Humanoids, Military & Security, Disaster Response

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Did You Know?

The lights on Atlas's chest look like a flux capacitor, but they're only for decoration.
Atlas is based on another humanoid, Petman, which Boston Dynamics built for the U.S. Army to test suits that protect against chemical or biological weapons.
Atlas is tough, but it's not waterproof.
The New York Times described Atlas as "giant — though shaky — step toward the long-anticipated age of humanoid robots."

Specs

FEATURES
Near-human anthropometry. Equipped with hydraulic actuators powered by on-board pump. Body has crash protection coverings.
HEIGHT
188 cm | 74 in
LENGTH
56 cm | 22 in
WIDTH
76 cm | 30 in
WEIGHT
150 kg | 330 lb
SPEED
N/A km/h | N/A mph

SENSORS
Head: sensor package by Carnegie Robotics with LIDAR, stereo cameras, dedicated electronics, and perception algorithms.
ACTUATORS
28 hydraulic actuators with closed-loop position and force control. Atlas can use two different pairs of hands, one built by iRobot and the other by Sandia National Labs.
POWER
480-V three-phase via tether. On-board hydraulic pump and thermal management.
COMPUTING
On-board real time control computer with 10 Gbps fiber optic Ethernet
SOFTWARE
C++ and ROS APIs
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF)
28 (Neck: 1 DoF; Arm: 6 DoF x 2; Torso: 3 DoF; Leg: 6 DoF x2)
MATERIALS
Aircraft-grade aluminum and titanium
COST
$2 million
STATUS
Ongoing
WEBSITE
http://www.theroboticschallenge.org/

History

In 2012, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected the robotics firm Boston Dynamics to build the Atlas humanoid as part of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). The goal of the DRC is to advance disaster response robotics with the hope that robots, not humans, will one day help mitigate major catastrophes, such as the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. While some teams are building custom robots to compete in the DRC, other teams will use Atlas as a standard platform provided by DARPA. Teams must program their robots to perform a wide range of tasks, including driving a utility vehicle, using power tools, and even breaking through a wall. The brainchild of DARPA program manager Gill Pratt, the DRC will hold a preliminary competition in December 2013, with the finals in late 2014. The winner takes home a $2 million cash prize.