Google's Atlas robot takes a forest hike

Tefal · 19 Aug 2015 at 12:19

FoxEye said:
Disagree completely. A quadruped will have no problems getting up and down stairs and around the office.

most 4 legged animals the size of the quad bots have trouble using stairs....

not to mention they'd get in the way terribly. for instance how wil la quad bot open a door then hold it open for it's slef while it walks through then close it behind it's self?

It's going to take decades more research just to make biped robots that don't lose their balance when the floor is unstable (like sand, rubble). Quadruped robots are already capable of this.

rubble is the preference flooring type for most building interiors of course.

Steedie · 19 Aug 2015 at 14:15

Tefal said:
rubble is the preference flooring type for most building interiors of course.

Werewolf · 19 Aug 2015 at 15:10

Tefal said:
rubble is the preference flooring type for most building interiors of course.

It is in the near future when the robots have turned against us and are hunting the survivors down.

asim18 · 19 Aug 2015 at 15:12

One small step for a robot, one giant leap toward Skynet.

wildman · 19 Aug 2015 at 15:14

I want you clothes, your boots and your browsing history and shopping preferences now.....................

porushinobu · 19 Aug 2015 at 16:09

mushtafa said:
That is pretty impressive! Makes you wonder what we'll be able to make in 20 years time.

FoxEye · 20 Aug 2015 at 00:15

Tefal said:
rubble is the preference flooring type for most building interiors of course.

If the building is intact and habitable, why are you sending a bot in anyway?

And why couldn't a quadruped have a manipulator arm... on its back? **** it, just give the damn thing a rocket launcher. No need to open doors using the handle then.

Tefal · 20 Aug 2015 at 01:04

FoxEye said:
If the building is intact and habitable, why are you sending a bot in anyway?

And why couldn't a quadruped have a manipulator arm... on its back? **** it, just give the damn thing a rocket launcher. No need to open doors using the handle then.

Because not all robots are going to be used for war?

Construction for instance a hugely dangerous field robots on site could reduce risks to human workers.

Care homes for helping to lift patients etc like we're seeing that being a big driver of civilian power assisted suits.

scotty365 · 20 Aug 2015 at 02:31

Just shoot the guy carrying the cables and batteries first...
Seriously though it does put things into a perspective, I doubt that stealth will be a 'mobile skill' any time soon but a unit dropped into a static position is possible, the airbourne tech we have is capable already of giving info for external payloads. I can see that it's possible for 'static' units moving to new positions out of combat could be useful in tree covered terrain where airbourne units can't get easily.

The Dread Pirate · 20 Aug 2015 at 09:44

My 1st thought upon seeing the title:

But then one Day he got high, and just sort of wandered off...

Werewolf · 20 Aug 2015 at 09:57

Tefal said:
Because not all robots are going to be used for war?

Construction for instance a hugely dangerous field robots on site could reduce risks to human workers.

Care homes for helping to lift patients etc like we're seeing that being a big driver of civilian power assisted suits.

Aye, things like cleaning up after industrial accidents (where humans would be at too much risk) are a big driver for the bipedal robot development, as if they can make a reasonable mobile/dexterous robot it could be sent into buildings that have had industrial accidents and operate things like manual valves designed for humans.
So rather than adapting every building and bit of equipment on a site so that an emergency robot can do stuff, you use a robot designed to work with human equipment.
IIRC the likes of Fukushima and multiple major problems at chemical plants (which despite often killing far more and having much worse long term effects tend to get less press) have shown that need in the past repeatedly.

The care homes stuff is one of the real pushes behind the development in Japan of the various humanoid robots and exo suits, as they've been aware of the problem of the ageing population and what it means for their economy and health services for years (there is a fairly good anime made about 20 years ago that plays off it, and the fact the same sort of tech would be in the military interests).