Boston Dynamics seems like some sort of fictional tech company that one sees in movies. Since their start in the 1990's they've produced innovative technology and have managed to stay as a working entity, still alive and kicking 30 years later. Their Atlas robot, which I first saw in action at the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals in 2015 (link), was akin to some sort of bad nightmare of what a robot should look like. Of course the DARPA challenges are about pushing the envelope and getting these Atlas robots (among others) to compete against each other was pretty interesting to watch, if you had a bit of patience. One could see the potential of the design but had absolutely no worry about a Terminator emerging anytime soon. They weren't fast, taking more than 30 minutes to complete their course, if they finished at all. They were controlled remotely, only using their onboard sensors to determine location and perspective to try and navigate the course and perform the requirements. If they fell over, game over. They had a hard time getting up.
Flash forward to today and it is really unbelievable the leaps and bounds, literally, that Boston Dynamics have achieved with their dancing, parkour running Atlas robots. I'm impressed with the advances in balancing and movement. It seems almost like science fiction to see what they are doing today versus the state of technology in 2015. I always look forward to their video releases showing their latest work.
From the 2015 DRC Finals in Pomona, California. About as exciting as watching paint dry. After so many failures, the crowd goes wild on the impossible accomplishments.