Boston Dynamics is proving humanity is growing ever closer to a fully functional robot after showing off their humanoid robot navigating underbrush and uneven terrain in a video for DARPA’s Robotics Challenge.
As NBC News reports, a video from Boston Dynamics shows the robot navigating a bed of uneven rocks along with it trekking through a heavily-wooded area and thick underbrush with relative ease. The company’s founder Marc Raibert explained during a robotics panel earlier this month that they’re focused on getting the robot out in the real world to test unpredictable situations the robot will experience, accelerating trial phases and speeding up development.
However, developers at MIT are giving Boston Dynamics a literal run-for-their-money with a quadruped model they call the Cheetah that not only trots but can leap small hurdles without breaking its stride. Watch both the humanoid and quadruped models navigate obstacles with scary ease, below:
