Watch video: Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot does real work in this video

Boston Dynamics shared a video where its Atlas robot picks up and places automotive struts in a particular position.

In the video shared by Boston Dynamics, the Atlas robot can be seen picking up and placing automotive struts. (Boston Dynamics via X.com)

Boston Dynamics in 2021 made waves when it released a video of its Atlas robot doing parkour stunts. In 2023, a different video depicted the robot carrying tools and planks at a simulated construction site. On Tuesday, the company released a video of what looks like the Atlas robot doing actual work.

In the video, Atlas robot can be seen picking up and placing automotive struts, a component of the suspension of vehicles. The video also indicates the robot is identifying the component, deciding how to lift it and making decisions about where to place it. While we cannot yet independently verify that at this point, it is impressive for many reasons.

To begin with, Atlas was never pitched as a commercial product in the first place. It is a research platform to develop humanoid robots. Also, while a robot doing parkour may seem more impressive than a robot doing what looks like menial work, the opposite is true. The parkour routine was a pre-choreographed set of instructions, but the new video seems like the robot is ready for the real world of work.

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Robots have been the mainstay of heavy manufacturing for decades now but they are not the kind that would come to your mind when someone says “robot.” Most heavy industries use purpose-built robots that complete certain tasks with high levels of precision. But humans are still an important part of the process because there are many jobs that are still too unstructured or random for robots to handle them.

Atlas and other robots like it could change that, with the ability to visualise and “think” through tasks to figure out how to do them best. If the robot’s actions are accurately depicted in the video shared by Boston Dynamics, it could mark a great leap forward for the field of robotics. So, it is not just designers, artists and writers, it seems like robots are coming for all the jobs.