Of all of the projects out there that will probably destroy us someday, one of our favorites is ATRIAS, coming out of the labs of Oregon State University. It looks like half a horse and moves like a dainty dog, and is, in general, adorable. You may remember ATRIAS from that time researchers pummeled the hell out of it with dodgeballs. You know, for science! Well, here they’re taking it out for a walk in the park, because it’s a good boy. He’s guided along by a brace that looks like a swingset, but is more there to catch him if he falls. (For instance, if the dodgeballs hit his kill switch because his captors are intolerably cruel.)Media Platforms Design TeamThe DARPA-funded bot is meant to test ways to make bipedal robots more energy efficient, with the eventual goal of all-terrain, bipedal robots that can easily sprint when needed without falling down. In the meantime, we get a series of goofy bot videos, so it’s a win-win. View full post on YoutubeSource: io9John WenzWriterJohn Wenz is a Popular Mechanics writer and space obsessive based in Philadelphia. He tweets @johnwenz.
