Over the past years many videos have been released of robots failing to walk correctly, stumbling on stairs and generally making a bad job of things most humans find particularly easy. Now however robot manufacturers Boston Dynamics have released a new video over the weekend demonstrating one of their humanoid robots completing a perfect backflip. Check out the video below to see just how elegantly this robotic backflip is carried out with impressive precision and style. Only last week we featured their latest generation four-legged Spotmini robot which has now been upgraded.
To recap Boston Dynamics was acquired by Google back in 2013 for an unknown price. SpotMini builds on the previous designs and now sports a sleek yellow casing to hide all its internal workings. The all electric quadruped robot has been designed for homes, offices and outdoor applications.
SpotMini is a small four-legged robot that comfortably fits in an office or home. It weighs 25 kg (30 kg if you include the arm). SpotMini is all-electric and can go for about 90 minutes on a charge, depending on what it is doing. SpotMini is the quietest robot we have built. SpotMini inherits all of the mobility of its bigger brother, Spot, while adding the ability to pick up and handle objects using its 5 degree-of-freedom arm and beefed up perception sensors. The sensor suite includes stereo cameras, depth cameras, an IMU, and position/force sensors in the limbs. These sensors help with navigation and mobile manipulation.
Source: Verge