Robo Atlas - Next generation

Originally shared by Corina Marinescu

Robo Atlas - Next generation
Atlas is a high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain. Atlas can walk bipedally leaving the upper limbs free to lift, carry, and manipulate the environment. In extremely challenging terrain, Atlas is strong and coordinated enough to climb using hands and feet, to pick its way through congested spaces.

Boston Dynamics unveiled a massively upgraded version of its ATLAS humanoid that is smaller, lighter, and more agile.
The new ATLAS can do things we’ve never seen other robots doing before, making it one of the most advanced humanoids in existence.

Watch:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY
 

Know more:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/next-generation-of-boston-dynamics-atlas-robot

#robos   #innovation   #ATLAS   #science

#robotics

#robotics  

Originally shared by Singularity 2045

#DRC (DARPA Robotics Challenge).

Over the next five years we should see a relatively rapid acceleration of humanoid #robotics prowess. Androids are becoming very accomplished. Drones will likewise become very sophisticated too.

Daily Mail wrote (20 Jan 2015): "A total of $3.5 million in prizes will now be awarded to the top three finishers in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), the final event of which will be held June 5-6, 2015, at Fairplex in California."

In addition to the #Atlas robot, mentioned in the Daily Mail article, consider #RoboSimian or #Surrogate reported on by Gizmag (31 Dec 2014):

Gizmag: "According to JPL, Surrogate was built using leftover limbs that were spares from the development of RoboSimian for earlier rounds of the DARPA challenge and uses the same basic computer code and its data files for identifying and using tools. Where RoboSimian looks like a nightmarish cross between a chimpanzee and a spider, Surrogate is more roughly humanoid. It stands 4.5 ft (1.4 m) high weighs 200 lb (90.7 kg), has an upright spine, and two arms. It's much more dexterous than RoboSimian and is better at manipulation. However, after six months of construction and testing, it was determined that RoboSimian would represent JPL during the finals next year." http://www.gizmag.com/robosimian-surrogate-jpl-darpa-robotics-challenge/35404/

Here is an io9 report from Dec 2013 stating the finals would be in late 2014 but I believe the finals moved to June 2015... io9 wrote: "DARPA launched the challenge as a way to encourage the development of robots that can work with people as they respond to both natural and human-made disasters. The competition consists of both robot systems (Class A) and software teams (Class B and C) — and it's designed to be challenging." http://io9.com/meet-the-eight-astounding-finalists-of-darpas-robotics-1489520533

IEE Spectrum wrote (20 Jan 2015), regarding Atlas with fully onboard power supply (no external cords): "We’ve always known that the ATLAS DRC humanoid robot was due for some serious upgrades before the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals, because having a robot that’s tethered for power and safety is just not in the spirit of what the DRC is all about: moving towards robotic systems that can provide meaningful assistance during a real-world disaster scenario." http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/military-robots/atlas-drc-robot-is-75-percent-new-completely-unplugged

IEEE Spectrum wrote (6 Feb 2014): "If Google does indeed remove SCHAFT from the DRC Finals, it will be disappointing not to see the top team participate in what is expected to be a much harder competition—and arguably the most anticipated robotics event ever. But from Google's perspective, it bought SCHAFT as part of a bigger effort, and it might want the Japanese company focused not on rescue robots but, we suppose, on more market-oriented applications. For now, all we can do is wait until we have official word from Google or DARPA." http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/schaft-robot-company-bought-by-google-darpa-robotics-challenge-winner

#DARPA #robots
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2918821/The-Googlebot-cuts-cord-Giant-humanoid-robot-overhauled-wireless-bid-win-2m-prize-Government-s-Robot-Olympics.html

#robotics

#robotics  

Originally shared by Friends of NASA

DARPA's ATLAS Humanoid Robots!
NASA is exploring peaceful civilian space applications for ATLAS-related technologies. Atlas is a new humanoid robot 6 foot, 2 inches tall weighing 330 pounds. Atlas is initially being designed to provide humanitarian assistance in disaster response/crisis situations.

NASA's Johnson Space Center (Valkyrie) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (RoboSimian) teams are participating in the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) focused on developing innovative software to control the robot's functions. Last month, DARPA awarded funds and an Atlas robot to 7 teams who competed in a software challenge leading up to the first leg of the Robotics Challenge, which kicks off in December 2013.

According to the project website, the goal of the DARPA Robotics Challenge is to create robotic systems that can work "in tandem with their human counterparts, in order to reduce casualties, avoid further destruction, and save lives."

Atlas can travel through rough terrain outdoors and climb using its hands and feet. The robot features two fully working hands with four fingers, including opposable thumbs, 28 hydraulically actuated joints, a "head" with LIDAR and stereo sensors, automatic crash protection, and an on-board, real-time control computer. In a demonstration video, Atlas easily avoided obstacles, maintaining a steady gait despite unexpected changes to the terrain, and even maintained its balance when struck by a large object.

"Articulated, sensate hands will enable Atlas to use tools designed for human use," Boston Dynamics says. "Atlas includes 28 hydraulically actuated degrees of freedom, two hands, arms, legs, feet, and a torso."
Its head includes stereo cameras and a laser range finder. It's currently tethered to an off-board, electric power supply which limits its range for the moment.

Specifications:
- Six feet, two inches tall (1.88m)
- 330 pounds (150kg)
- On-board real-time control computer
- On-board hydraulic pump and thermal management
- Tethered for networking & 480-V three-phase power at 15 kW
- Two arms, two legs, a torso and a head
- 28 hydraulically actuated joints
- Carnegie Robotics sensor head with LIDAR and stereo sensors
- Two sets of hands, one provided by iRobot and one by Sandia National Labs

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technologies for use by the military.

Boston Dynamics is an engineering and robotics design company best known for the development of the humanoid robot ATLAS and BigDog, a quadruped robot, both designed for the U.S. military with funding from DARPA. The company was spunoff from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The DRC groups are not starting from scratch: thanks to the physical modeling of the DRC Simulator, the software algorithms successfully employed by teams in the previously held Virtual Robotics Competition (VRC) should transfer relatively easily to the ATLAS hardware, according to DARPA officials. The teams will be presented with tasks for ATLAS, such as driving a utility vehicle, walking over uneven terrain, clearing debris, breaking through a wall, closing a valve, and connecting a fire hose.

Ultimately, despite its advanced nature, ATLAS is essentially a physical shell awaiting its software brains that, along with the actions of a human operator, will guide the suite of sensors, actuators, joints and limbs through a series of tasks.

In order to accomplish this, the winning teams will receive funding from DARPA and ongoing technical support from Boston Dynamics, the developer of ATLAS.

Dr. GIll Pratt, Program Manager for the challenge, said DARPA is investing in an open-source simulation package to advance the state of the art in robotic simulation. "In particular, we want to have these tools outlast the program and be the foundation for catalyzing the field of robotics, particularly helping to make the design of robots move from an art to a science,"  he said. DARPA is also funding the Open Source Robotics Foundation to further develop a preexisting simulator that will use cloud computing for quick and easy scalability.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Johnson Space Center 

Credit: DARPA/Boston Dynamics, CNET, IEEE Spectrum

#Robotics #DARPA #ATLAS #NASA #Humanoid #AI #Artifical #Intelligence #Software #Engineering