New trick from the Boston Dynamics robot

Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot, Atlas, can now perform a round-off and a full backflip.

Boston Dynamics posted a video of the Atlas robot performing a round-off, immediately transitioning into a backflip, and landing cleanly on its feet. Along with the successful take, the video also showed a clip of unsuccessful attempts—the robot loses its balance, falls sideways, and lands on its head.

The acrobatics are backed by serious work. The stunts are the final test of the research version of Atlas before the commercial platform takes its place. They were conducted jointly with the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Institute (RAI) under the leadership of Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert. The goal is to test the absolute limits of the design's and algorithms' mobility.

The key technology here is so-called "zero transfer." A behavioral model is first trained in a simulation and then transferred to a physical robot without any intermediate adjustments. It's thanks to this approach that Atlas can perform somersaults and exhibit a smooth, natural gait.

Meanwhile, the production Atlas is getting ready for work. It has 56 degrees of freedom and four-fingered grippers with tactile sensors. Hyundai confirmed that by 2028, robots will be deployed to the Georgia plant, initially to sort parts, and by 2030, they plan to assemble components.