Boston Dynamics…the future of robotics.

Did it ever come to your mind what our future would be? With the continuous rising of tech inventions and innovations, there is no wonder that we are on our way to a future where we see flying cars, advanced drones, and of course, robots.

The idea of robots taking over our jobs is quite a stretch. It will obviously affect our economy at all levels liberating humans from the foremost tedious, monotonous tasks, like walking around warehouses, cleaning office premises, building electronics, and many more.

But did you know that there are already existing robots doing those kinds of tasks today?

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Introducing the Boston Dynamics Company

Not every robotics company can boast legions of fans online, and not many robotics companies make robots quite like Boston Dynamics.

Each time their firm shares new footage of its machines, they cause a sensation on the internet, blowing everyone’s minds. Whether it’s a pack of robot dogs towing a truck or a human-like bot leaping nimbly up a set of boxes, Boston Dynamics’ bots are uniquely thrilling.

Boston Dynamics, an American engineering and robotics design company, was founded by Marc Raibert as a spinoff from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. They first worked with the American Systems Corporation under a contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division to replace naval training videos for aircraft launch.

As advances and interest in deep learning began to pick pace, Google X bought the robotics company but later on shut down because they failed in turning it into a profitable business. They then sold Boston Dynamics to a Japanese investment giant, SoftBank, which reported $165 million in 2017.

Therefore, even though changing hands three times in a decade is not a good outlook for any company, the $1.1 billion valuation shows that Boston Dynamics’ value has increased, and SoftBank is making a lot of money out of the deal.

“Boston Dynamics is at the heart of smart robotics,” Masayoshi Son, the chairman, and CEO of SoftBank said, “We are thrilled to partner with Hyundai, one of the world’s leading global mobility companies to accelerate the company’s path to commercialization. Boston Dynamics has a very bright future, and we remain invested in the company’s success.”

In the past few years, we have seen the fall of many robotics companies. They were running out of money to support their hardware and software business. Anki, a startup that raised $200 million to create cute home robots, was shut down in 2019 and later sold its assets to EdTech startup Digital Dream Labs. Another example is Mayfield Robotics, the Kuri home robot maker, which also ceased operations in 2018. And while other robotics companies shut down, Boston Dynamics tripled its staff and even bought its new headquarters.

One of the things that makes them unique is their ambition to build dynamically stable, legged machines. Marc Raibert began tackling this problem before anyone else in the world. They have been doing that for almost 35 years now. They worked towards that goal for so long that they have invented techniques to make robots work that you can’t find in any textbook or technical article.

After talking about their company, let us now jump to what you have been waiting for… their robots.

Let’s start with the first legged robot that left their lab, the BIGDOG.

BigDog is a dynamically stable quadruped military robot created in 2005. It was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the hopes that it would be able to serve as a robotic pack mule to accompany soldiers in terrain too rough for conventional vehicles. Instead of wheels or treads, BigDog uses four legs for movement, allowing it to move across surfaces that would defeat wheels.

Another robot that has taken a lot of interest was ATLAS.

Atlas is considered as the world’s most dynamic humanoid robot and Boston Dynamics’ biggest celebrity. It is a research platform designed to push the limits of whole-body mobility. Atlas’s advanced control system and state-of-the-art hardware give the robot the power and balance to demonstrate human-level agility.

This tall humanoid is capable of impressive athletic feats. Its actuators are driven by a compact yet powerful hydraulic system that the company engineered from scratch. The unique system gives the 80-kilogram robot the explosive strength needed to perform acrobatic leaps and flips that don’t seem possible for such a large humanoid to do. This robot can jump… run… do somersaults… and can even dance! Atlas has inspired a string of parody videos on YouTube and more than a few jokes about a robot takeover.

And, of course, we would not miss Boston Dynamic’s very own SPOT.

You’ve probably seen this robot before in hauling a truck or even dancing Bruno Mars’ very own uptown funk. It’s the first of this generation of semi-autonomous, four-legged robots.

This robot is probably the most famous and used robot of Boston Dynamics. Spot is an agile, mobile robot that navigates the terrain with unprecedented mobility, allowing you to automate routine inspection tasks and data capture safely, accurately, and frequently. It is designed for developers to explore how flexible mobile robots can be adapted for tasks ranging from industrial inspection to entertainment. Spot comes ready to operate, right out of the box. This robot costs $74,500 and is being used on many construction sites, soldier’s deployment, and more.

In fact, a Chinese tech company has also developed a robot that looks like it! AlphaDog, a robotic hound, uses sensors and Artificial Intelligence technology to hear and see its environment. This robot can also be taken for walks. The developers of this technology also hope that the future uses of their four-legged friend could benefit the visually impaired.

“To help the disabled is an important developing direction for us,” says Ma Jie. “When the robot dog has the function of vision, hearing, and dialogue too, it can easily interact with disabled people, and lead them to the supermarket or the bus.”

Moving on… Early in April 2021, Boston Dynamics released their newest STRETCH robot designed for warehouse and automation.

This robot is not modeled after humans or animals. Instead, it aims to be as practical as possible. It has a square mobile base containing a set of wheels, a “perception mast” with cameras, other sensors, and a giant robotic arm with seven degrees of freedom and a suction pad array on the end that can grab and move boxes up to 23 kilograms in weight. This robot has the ability to unload trucks and load pallets.

Stretch’s base is small enough to fit anywhere a pallet does. It is still in development, and Boston Dynamics is looking for customers to test it. They aim to release Stretch commercially in 2022 and haven’t yet revealed a price tag.

Boston Dynamics still has a long way to go. And I know that just like me, you cannot wait to see them post a new video on their youtube channel with their newly released robot!

It’s this depressing, deflating context that makes us excited about Boston Dynamics’ robots. The company seems to be leap-frogging automation into something more technologically advanced. Now it’s just their time to prove that its robots are ready to leave the lab and head out into the world.

“I think robots are going to affect peoples’ lives in a good way. I think it’s going to increase productivity and release people from dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs,” says Raibert. “I would hate to see the great opportunities in a technology like this missed because of fear of what the downsides may be.”

What are your thoughts about this technology? Are you worried that this technology might overpower human beings? Or are you excited to see where these robots could take us in the future?