Boston Dynamics' Atlas Robot Shows Off Parkour Skills

The remarkable evolution of Atlas, Boston Dynamics' most agile robot, continues. In a video posted today, Atlas is seen jumping over a log and leaping up steps like a parkour runner. The robot has come a long way. Two years ago, Boston Dynamics, led by Marc Raibert, unveiled a massive upgrade of the original Atlas, which had been used by multiple teams at the DARPA Robotics Challenge in 2015. In a brief description of today's video, Boston Dynamics explains that the robot is using its full body not only to balance but also to propel itself up the steps: The control software uses the whole body including legs, arms and torso, to marshal the energy and strength for jumping over the log and leaping up the steps without breaking its pace.