Skip to Content
Artificial intelligence

VIDEO: Boston Dynamics’ Backflipping Robot Is an Astounding Advance

November 17, 2017

What a difference two years make. If you followed the DARPA Challenge back in 2015, you’ll know that humanoid robots have a track record of falling over—a lot. Fast forward to today, however, and the notorious robot maker Boston Dynamics has gotten its two-legged Atlas humanoid to do backflips. Just watch it. It’s literally, for me at least, jaw-dropping.

Atlas has been slowly finding its feet for years: learning how to roam snowy hillsides, traverse rocky paths, and ensure that, if it does fall, it at least does so safely. Still, there have been detractors along the way: a clip of the robot getting confused and collapsing went viral earlier this year. “Judging from the progress made by arguably the most advanced humanoid robots, if Terminator does show up, it won’t even be able to stack shelves without falling over,” wrote the Guardian at the time.

Um, nope. Anyone who’s tried to do a backflip will know that it’s not easy, especially the landing. It requires dexterity, poise, and balance—all things that have typically been lacking in humanoid robots. But Boston Dynamics has shown that, while it might not be easy and certainly seemed a distant hope two years ago, it’s now perfectly possible for a robot to display such skills.

That has profound implications for what robots might be able to do in the future, and it makes the prospect of, say, reliable rescue robots a very real possibility. It also means that you can scratch that Guardian quote: if Terminator does show up, he’ll school you at parkour.

Deep Dive

Artificial intelligence

This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI

The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. 

Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist

An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.

Unpacking the hype around OpenAI’s rumored new Q* model

If OpenAI's new model can solve grade-school math, it could pave the way for more powerful systems.

Minds of machines: The great AI consciousness conundrum

Philosophers, cognitive scientists, and engineers are grappling with what it would take for AI to become conscious.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.