MIT's Humanoid Robot Goes to Robo Boot Camp

The deactivated dangling thing looks like a metal rag doll, vulnerable and grotesque. But this is Atlas, one of the most sophisticated robots in the world. "The control system for a fighter jet is way simpler than this," says Tedrake, leader of the Atlas team at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. As one of the Darpa Robotics Challenge's 25 robot finalists, Atlas will be representing Tedrake's team at the 2015 challenge in Pomona, California in two weeks. Its purpose in life--along with the other finalists--is to be the best search-and-rescue robot possible. In terrain too dangerous for humans to traverse, a robot that can lift hundreds of pounds and work power tools could save lives without endangering others.