Boston Dynamics caught the eyeballs when they notoriously poked and prodded its robots to find out their weaknesses. However, its latest robot is too agile and they’ll have a real struggle to kick it down. Meet Handle, Boston Dynamic’s super agile robot.
Boston Dynamics posted a footage showing the capabilities of Handle. People weren’t just amazed; some got a little terrified. Founder Marc Raibert could not stop describing it a “nightmare-inducing robot.”
This 6.5 foot tall (200 cml) robot could easily intimidate anyone. Its wheels help it to attain a maximum speed of 9 mph. The wheel/feet combination is the most crucial part of its design. As stated by its makers “Wheels are efficient on flat surfaces while legs can go almost anywhere,”…. “By combining wheels and legs, Handle can have the best of both worlds.”
At a glance, 9 mph speed might not seem impressive when compared to a human’s average of 15 miles per hour. However, the catch here is; human tend to slow down and tire over time. Robots have substantially greater endurance than the average human. With a fully charged system, robots keep its peak pace irrespective of road conditions, be it snow, ice or difficult surfaces. Handle robot make use of its feet, instead of wheels, when it comes to cater mobility in some difficult circumstances
The robot is also capable of lifting up to 100 pounds (roughly 50 kg) without any difficulty. It can also jump upto four feet directly into the air with ease when it comes to overcome suitable obstacles.
The most attractive part of this robot is its simplified design. This simple system comes with only 10 actuated joints. This is a major deviation from Boston Dynamics’ other bipedal robots like Atlas. The Atlas system with staggering 28 hydraulically-actuated joints is conceived as a basic delivery system. In contrast to that, Handle is better positioned for a Terminator-on-rollerskates type role.
Author: Technology Vista
