Watch as engineers bully the latest Atlas robot

We can’t help but feel sympathy for the latest robot from Boston Dynamics as it gets prodded, pushed and teased by its malevolent creators.

Published: February 24, 2016 at 12:00 am

Life is hard for a robot, always having to do menial tasks that humans feel are beneath them like open doors, carry boxes and trudge through the snow. That’s the poor lot the latest Atlas robot from Google-ownedfirmBoston Dynamicshas to put up with, all the while engineers are doing their best to bully the unlucky droid.

The truth is actually not as bad as it sounds. Designed for mobile manipulation, the vast array of sensors in its body allow the next generation of Atlas to right itself when pushed over, balance through uneven terrain and quite capably open doors and pick up boxes, even if they are being thwacked out of its hands and pushed away. It also doesn’t have anunseemly cablehanging out the back of it.

It’s probable that the robot is totally cool with these classic school-bullying tactics, but we’re pretty sure who the first target will be when Judgement Day arrives.

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