Boston Dynamics is developing a frighteningly fast robot.

One of the divisions of Google, which can be called autonomy, is now developing an unusual robot that resembles a hybrid of a scooter and an Atlas. This is about Boston Dynamics, whose employees have long and densely engaged in robotics. But until now, the robots created by the developers were fairly slow. Some of them resembled bulls, some - dogs, some - humanoids. Despite the large number of different systems, the robots manufactured by Boston Dynamics were not very stable or fast.

But here's a new robot, information about which leaked the other day to the network, and fast, and steady. It is not known how he will act on rough terrain, but in tests he shows excellent results. The presentation of the founder of the company, which he showed to investors, got into the network. The first information in the Internet uploaded venture investor Steve Dzhurvetson (Steve Jurvetson).

As for the founder of Boston Dynamics, Reibert, he describes the robot as "an experimental model with the replacement of legs by wheels, a very dynamic system that balances and at the same time understands how to move to a given point." He also added that the wheels are more efficient than the legs, although this form of movement also introduces some limitations. But as for a flat floor, here the robot moves exceptionally well. "This is a debut presentation, which showed the nightmares of the robot," - said the head of the unit.
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In the video, the prototype of the Handle robot performs complex dynamic movements, picks up and carries a load, bends on bends and balances without problems. Moreover, this robot jumps over obstacles, and he does not lose the balance either before or after the jump.

The company Boston Dynamics has long planned to create a robot that can perform basic functions such as cargo transportation. Despite the large number of different robots already created by the company, it has problems with bringing these robots to the market. According to representatives of the holding Alphabet, which now includes Google, representatives of Boston Dynamics cannot develop products that need to be created for more than a year. At the same time, most robots are very complex, so they need to be developed for many months, if not years.

As for the robot with a wheel system, the developers consider such a system more efficient in terms of energy costs. Maneuverability on uneven surfaces falls, but, in general, the mobility of the robot is much higher than that of previous models from Boston Dynamics.


Last year, the developers showed a SpotMini robot giraffe, which can pick up dirty dishes from a worktop or kitchen sink. In addition, this robot is able to play the way dogs do. Things “giraffe” took with the help of a special manipulator, which looks like a long neck. Thanks to the gyroscope, the robot can keep the "head" on the same level, regardless of body movements. This behavior is typical for birds. According to the company, robots can be used in everyday life, only in industry. In addition, the Spot Mini delivered several shipments to residents of Boston homes. “Many are talking about delivery using drones. But why not use a robot with feet-manipulators? ”, Says Mark Reibert, CEO of Boston Dynamics.

Google bought the company Boston Dynamics back in 2013. Early last year, it was reported that Google wants to sell this asset precisely because it will take years for the final product to be commercially available. The last straw before making a decision to sell was a video where a man kicks the humanoid Atlas robot and pokes it with a stick.


Potential buyers of Boston Dynamics previously announced Amazon and Toytota Research Institute. The last organization last year took several employees of Boston Dynamics. At the same time, the founder of Boston Dynamics, Mark Rybert (Marc Raibert) is a friend of the head of the robotics division of the Toyota Research Institute and the program director of the DARPA, Gill Pratt. They worked together in the MIT Robotics Laboratory since 1986, then Raibert founded his company, Boston Dynamics, in 1992.

“There were rave reviews in the tech press,” said Courtney Hohne, communications director at Google, “but we also began to notice negative discussions about how terrible it is that robots are ready to take jobs from people.” The director of communications asked Google X employees to distance themselves from this video and not comment on it.