What do robots do when they're looking to escape the stresses and strains of everyday android life? Well if Atlas's whereabouts are anything to go by, it seems that embracing nature and enjoying the great outdoors is just what the doctor ordered.
The six-foot-tall anthropomorphic robot, created by Boston Dynamics, has been tested outside the laboratory going for a tethered ramble around a nearby forest. The boundary-pushing robotics company, which was bought by Google in 2013, is best known for creating BigDog, a four-legged robot designed for the US military. But recent projects reveal that it's expanding into ever-more unique and eye-opening territory.
The video, taken from MIT's Fab11 conference earlier this month, begins with footage of their latest quadruped, Spot, looking like a hybrid of Terminator and a whippet, and capable of opening doors with its bizarre-looking face-arm.
Cue the entrance of the dynamic, fleet-footed Atlas, which is filmed withstanding being hit with weights and casually -- if slightly tipsily -- making its way through the trees.
Although Atlas is connected to a power tether in the footage, Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert explained that the firm is working on a completely free-standing version.
Bird watchers beware: there may be a whole host of other exotic sights to compete with in the forests of the near-future.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
