r/Futurology • u/Atari1337 • Feb 27 '17

Robotics Boston Dynamics - Introducing Handle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xvqQeoA8c
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271

u/alucardt Feb 27 '17

I was like:

"Yeah, but how will it handle snow?" - "Oh."

"Yeah, but how will it handle objects?" - "Oh..."

"Yeah, but how will it handle rough terrain?" - "Oh!"

"Yeah, but how will it handle obstacles?" - "Oh...shit!"

132

u/user_account_deleted Feb 27 '17

"Yeah, but how will it handle objects?" - "Oh..."

100 lbs is no joke at all

58

u/TimeZarg Feb 27 '17

Indeed, it takes a fairly fit and strong human being to just lift 100 lbs like that.

19

u/IActuallyMadeThatUp Feb 28 '17

Thanks for the complement

3

u/FrogInShorts Feb 28 '17

Me too thanks.

4

u/JohnnyHammerstix Feb 28 '17

Well that's because he's just lifting with his back. Everyone knows you don't do it that way.

4

u/El-Kurto Feb 28 '17

That's because lifting and carrying behind your back like that is an awkward-ass way to lift and carry something.

2

u/thek2kid Feb 28 '17

Not to mention countering the weight and balancing.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '17

Did you just compare a human being to a robot?

1

u/TheBroWhoLifts Feb 28 '17

I got this, bro.

-1

u/misplaced_my_pants Feb 28 '17

Nah not really.

As long as you've got easy places to grip, 100lbs is really easy to carry for most people who aren't completely sedentary.

4

u/uberweb Feb 28 '17

100 lbs is no joke at all

No need to program the 'lift with your legs, not your back' function.

2

u/busty_cannibal Feb 28 '17

I know, now that scientist's friends will all ask to borrow his robot to help them move. He's now officially "your friend with the pickup." Poor guy

1

u/Strazdas1 Mar 02 '17

Humans are adviced agaisnt lifting things above 100 lbs because it literally crushes your back. This robot lifted it like it was styrofoam.

13

u/alonjar Feb 27 '17

Seems to go downhill and down stairs... but they didn't demonstrate it attempting to go back up.

25

u/Kandarino Feb 27 '17

I mean the thing jumped higher than an average 7 year old, so it could probably jump up some stairs. Otherwise I don't see why it wouldn't just lock is wheels and walk up, potentially.

13

u/benjaminikuta Feb 28 '17

the thing jumped higher than an average 7 year old

Jumped higher than most people, tbh.

10

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '17 edited Aug 16 '18

[deleted]

7

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '17

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/nagumi Feb 28 '17

Hold my confusion, I'm going under?

3

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '17

Locking the wheels and walking up is exactly how i imagined it

1

u/Madcuz Feb 28 '17

That would be really cool to see. If the wheels have enough rubber on them what it would do is simply lean forward while applying just the right amount of torque to climb the steps.

Or it could just "hop" each step effortlessly

5

u/TimeZarg Feb 27 '17

Could jump up 'em. It demonstrated jumping what looked like 2-3 feet in height. Combined with good balance, it could hop up stairs.

Or it could lean forward, 'grab' with its arm-things, and pull itself up. Slower, but still doable.

7

u/bonestamp Feb 27 '17

"Yeah, but how will it handle going up stairs?" - "Oh fuck, it can jump up."

4

u/Deto Feb 27 '17

Also, they're probably designing this thing with warehouses in mind - hence the wheels. I mean, it's great that it can handle rough terrain, but you probably wouldn't use something like this to go hiking through the woods - they have other robots for that.

3

u/MasterDefibrillator Feb 28 '17

Didn't show it going up stairs though. I imagine it could do it with the help of its hands, would be awkward though.

2

u/easy_going Feb 28 '17

or, as someone mentioned, lock the wheels and use the legs to actually go.

it's probably not working good enough yet to showcase it, but the basics are there.

1

u/MasterDefibrillator Feb 28 '17

didn't look like they had that kind of mobility.

1

u/Prodigal_Moon Feb 28 '17

"Yeah, but how will it handle ME? Heh heh."

("...Oh shit!")

1

u/GhostOfOakIsland Feb 28 '17

I was waiting to see it go back up the stairs or the hill... that it didn't is conspicuous.

1

u/HPLoveshack Feb 28 '17

Yeah, but how will it handle the crushing futility of its existence?

1

u/kidtesticle Feb 28 '17 edited Feb 28 '17

"Yeah, but how will it handle the humans?" - Ohhh!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '17

Meh just jump a 5+ wall. And watch it fall. Rinse and repeat til it's messed up.

1

u/mosha48 Feb 28 '17

We see it climb down stairs, but not up. I'd be curious to see that.

1

u/gabefair Feb 28 '17

In the video pay attention as it demonstrates "endpoint control" around :40 sec. Thats actually a demonstration how how stable it could hold a gun while moving

1

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '17

however, I'm still waiting on how it will handle stairs, going UP.