As part of DARPA’s Robotics Challenge, which seeks more lifelike humanoid robots, the engineers at Boston Dynamics have impressed once again. Boston Dynamics first caught the public’s attention by showcasing just how fast robotics was advancing when they released videos of robots so lifelike that they were given names like LittleDog, SandFlea, BigDog, and the world’s fastest legged robot — Cheetah.
Now Boston Dynamics has entered the human realm with PETMAN. As you will see in the video below, this robot far outdoes its predecessors with its extraordinary range of motion and abilities.
PETMAN is an anthropomorphic robot designed for testing chemical protection clothing. Its range of motion allows it to balance, walk, crawl, and even climb stairs, while also having the ability to simulate human physiology such as sweating. (Source)
It is the first robot to display such human movements, heralding the next … step in robotics development destined to assist waging war on battlefield earth.
