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Boston Dynamics is retiring Atlas, the most famous bipedal robot in existence, according to a new video published on the robotics company’s YouTube page. And we’d be lying if we didn’t admit to getting a little choked up watching the trials and tribulations of Atlas over the years.
“For almost a decade, Atlas has sparked our imagination, inspired the next generations of roboticists, and leapt over technical barriers in the field,” the description of this new YouTube video reads.
“Now it’s time for our hydraulic Atlas robot to kick back and relax. Take a look back at everything we’ve accomplished with the Atlas platform to date,” the description continues.
Atlas has its origins way back in 2009 when Boston Dynamics won a $26 million contract with the U.S. Army to produce a bipedal robot that was originally called the PETMAN, joining other advanced robotics efforts of the 2000s like Honda’s Asimo and the other high-profile Boston Dynamics robot of that decade, BigDog.
Atlas achieved some incredible feats over the years, starting with walking like a normal human and then walking over rough surfaces. Before long, Atlas was battery-powered, jogging, and running up boxes in increasingly agile ways. Atlas was even tortured with hockey sticks and refused to take anything lying down.
But it may have been the moment Atlas started doing backflips that things really started to feel weird for humanity. Most people can’t do a backflip. When bipedal robots start doing things better than the average human, we should probably pay attention.
Is this really the end for Atlas, as it goes to sit in a rocking chair with the other robots of history? As IEEE Spectrum points out, the language in the new video announcing the retirement of Atlas is somewhat confusing.
Now, if you’re wondering why Boston Dynamics is saying “it’s time for our hydraulic Atlas robot to kick back and relax,” rather than just “our Atlas robot,” and if you’re also wondering why the video description ends with “take a look back at everything we’ve accomplished with the Atlas platform “to date,” well, I can’t help you.
Gizmodo reached out for comment but didn’t immediately hear back from Boston Dynamics. We’ll update this post if the company provides any clarity.
Today, several startups are still working on bipedal robots with the promise that average people may one day own a robotic servant—something we’ve been waiting on for well over a century. And while some companies are far ahead of others, it remains to be seen whether we’ll all get our own Rosey from The Jetsons anytime soon.
Farewell, Atlas. You were both terrifying and exciting in equal measure, as all cutting-edge technology should be.
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