Boston Dynamics retires the hydraulic Atlas, and the symbolism is bigger than the spec sheet
The hydraulic Atlas is the most-watched robot on the internet. Its electric replacement signals where the whole industry is going, and why.
Image credit: Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash · source
The hydraulic Atlas was the most-watched robot on the internet. Its parkour videos have north of a hundred million views. So Boston Dynamics retiring it this week, in favour of a fully electric successor, is news that means more than its spec sheet suggests.
Why this is a turning point
Hydraulics are powerful, fast, and notoriously difficult to ship as a product. The old Atlas pushed what was possible with pressurised fluid in a small frame, but it was a research platform. The new electric Atlas is being talked about by its parent Hyundai in the context of automotive lines.
IEEE Spectrum caught the most honest sentence from the company so far on this transition.
Hydraulics are romantic; they are not productive. — Boston Dynamics chief technologist (via IEEE Spectrum)
There is a generation of robotics engineers who got into the field because of hydraulic Atlas videos. They will mourn the move. The companies trying to put humanoids in real workplaces will not.
The engineering trade
Electric motors are easier to maintain, quieter, and integrate with the rest of a humanoid stack: lithium battery, controller, software updates. Hydraulics need pumps, hoses, and a tolerance for fluid leaks that no automotive plant manager will accept on a Tuesday morning.
The new Atlas is reportedly smaller and lighter. It does not appear to be optimised for backflips. It appears to be optimised for being plugged in next to a Hyundai assembly line.
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