In a recent video from Boston Dynamics, an engineering and robotics design company, a robot is shown doing karate. Yup, that’s a thing now.
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This is the same company that made the animal like robots BigDog and Wildcat.
The idea that robots will one day replace human beings is ridiculous but not ridiculous enough to immediately dismiss the idea entirely without entertaining it.
In the video, the robot called Atlas, balances on one leg on top of cinder bricks and re-enacts a scene from The Karate Kid movie.
Though we have seen robots leap over molehills seeing one do karate is disconcerting. There is however a touch of humour in the video in the way that the robot attempts to pull-off the karate moves.
Boston Dynamics hopes that Atlas will eventually be sent on dangerous rescue missions:
Atlas is a high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain. Atlas can walk bipedally leaving the upper limbs free to lift, carry, and manipulate the environment. In extremely challenging terrain, Atlas is strong and coordinated enough to climb using hands and feet, to pick its way through congested spaces.
