cccarlos

HKU bought one for the DARPA robotic charllenge, I was in the team programming it.

cccarlos

Yes, I think they are gradually testing it on actual hardware now that they are being delivered. The actual ATLAS robot will be delivered sometime in August, and it will definitely make the headlines (if not somewhere in the newspaper obviously).

cccarlos

The main idea behind humanoid robots is their DIRECT COMPATIBILITY in working in human environments. The current DARPA (although a military body) robotics challenge, was supposedly motivated by the recent Japan nuclear disasters in their nuclear plants. Robots back then were essentially remote controlled tanks that can't even open a door. Yes, perhaps they can manoeuver better than bipedal creatures and offer better stability, but they can't do a dime in a human environment. We programme humanoid robots to do what humans do, for example driving a car (which involves it identifying a car, opening the bloody car door, sitting in there, knowing where the pedals and steering wheel are, knowing how to shift gears and manage traffic and terrain via its vision), opening a frigging door, picking up stuff and operating powered tools. These thus allow such humanoid robots to replace humans in hazardous working conditions: a collapsed nuclear plant, coal mines, etc..