Boston Dynamics puts Atlas on wheels to test its reinforcement-learning whole-body controller
A new video shows the humanoid rolling through a simulated warehouse with its feet swapped for tires; the company says it is a test of actuators at their limits, not a product.
Why it matters
The demo matters less for the wheels than for the controller: Boston Dynamics says it used them to check how faithfully a reinforcement-learning whole-body policy transfers to real actuators running at the edge. It comes nearly a decade after the company's two-wheeled Handle robot, and The Verge notes the wheels add a quick side-dash manoeuvre to Atlas. Boston Dynamics has not said whether a wheeled Atlas will ship; watch for whether the same controller appears in its factory deployments.
Key facts
- Atlas's feet swapped for tires in a new video
- Demo set in a simulated warehouse
- Tests an RL whole-body controller on real actuators
- Wheels add a quick side-dash manoeuvre
- Handle, a two-wheeled robot, came nearly a decade earlier