Boston Dynamics Tests Wheeled Atlas Doing 360-Degree Jumps

At a glance

Boston Dynamics released research video of its humanoid robot Atlas fitted with scooter wheels for demanding moves. The wheeled robot showed a full 360-degree spin jump and balancing on one leg.

Key points

1. 1

   The team attached scooter wheels by adding parts to the ankle drive.

2. 2

   Starting, turning, and stopping on wheels pushed the motors to their limits.

3. 3

   They used sim-to-real training, learning in simulation and then applying it to the physical robot.

4. 4

   The 360-degree jump was learned from motion-capture data of human movement and succeeded on the first try on the real robot.

Why it matters

Lessons from this research are also being applied to the standard legged Atlas, showing where robot movement technology is heading.

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