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Robot roundup
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trevp66Offline
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PostPosted: 13-07-2013 14:15    Post subject: Reply with quote

rynner2 wrote:
trevp66 wrote:
and while we're on the subject, since when (and why/how) did the americans start calling aluminium 'a-loo-min-um'???

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Etymology


Aha, I see....thanks Rynner.

Doesn't stop me disliking it though, haha
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ramonmercadoOffline
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PostPosted: 04-08-2013 22:32    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Kirobo is world's first talking robot sent into space
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23565121

Robot astronaut Kirobo is launched towards the ISS

Japan has launched the world's first talking robot into space to serve as companion to astronaut Kochi Wakata who will begin his mission in November.

The android took off from the island of Tanegashima in an unmanned rocket also carrying supplies for crew onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Measuring 34cm (13 inches), Kirobo is due to arrive at the ISS on 9 August.

It is part of a study to see how machines can lend emotional support to people isolated over long periods.

The launch of the H-2B rocket was broadcast online by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa).

The unmanned rocket is also carrying drinking water, food, clothing and work supplies to the six permanent crew members based at the ISS.

Kirobo with developer Tomotaka Takahashi
Tomotaka Takahashi with his creation
'Giant leap'
Kirobo's name derives from the Japanese words for "hope" and "robot".

The small android weighs about 1kg (2.2 pounds) and has a wide range of physical motion. Its design was inspired by the legendary animation character Astro Boy.

Kirobo has been programmed to communicate in Japanese and keep records of its conversations with Mr Wakata who will take over as commander of the ISS later this year.

In addition, it is expected to relay messages from the control room to the astronaut.

"Kirobo will remember Mr Wakata's face so it can recognise him when they reunite up in space," the robot's developer, Tomotaka Takahashi said.

"I wish for this robot to function as a mediator between a person and machine, or a person and the Internet, and sometimes even between people."

The biggest challenge was to make the android compatible with space, Mr Takahashi added.

Dozens of tests were carried out over nine months to ensure Kirobo's reliability.

Kirobo has a twin robot on Earth called Mirata, which will monitor any problems its electronic counterpart may experience in space.

"It's one small step for me, a giant leap for robots," Mirata said of the mission last month.

The endeavour is a joint project between Mr Takahashi, car producer Toyota and advertising company Dentsu.
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ramonmercadoOffline
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PostPosted: 06-08-2013 13:46    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want! Vid at link.

Quote:
Meet Cygan, the 1950s robot up for auction
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23564917

4 August 2013 Last updated at 23:01 GMT

Fans of robots, who have a spare £12,000, have the chance to buy a piece of history in an auction at Christie's.

Cygan, a 1957 automaton, amazed audiences with his advanced technology and is part of an "Out of the Ordinary" sale scheduled for September.

Philip Hampsheir went along to get the measure of this metal masterpiece.

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ramonmercadoOffline
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PostPosted: 18-08-2013 13:44    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Robot comedian stands up well against human rivals
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24050-robot-comedian-stands-up-well-against-human-rivals.html#.UhDBEpJ4JBw

Updated 16:21 15 August 2013 by Celeste Biever
For similar stories, visit the Books and Art and Robots Topic Guides

Video: Robo-comic cracks jokes for humans

How funny can a robot be? Our reporter finds a robot stand-up less stressful to watch than human comics – but it would have problems with a rowdy audience

"Hello, weak-skinned pathetic perishable humans!" begins the stand-up comic. "I am here with the intent of making you laugh."

A curiously direct beginning for most comics, but not for Robothespian. This humanoid robot, made by British company Engineered Arts, has the size and basic form of a tall, athletic man but is very obviously a machine: its glossy white face and torso taper into a wiry waist and legs, its eyes are square video screens and its cheeks glow with artificial light.

Robothespian's first joke plays on its mechanical nature and goes down a storm with the audience at the Barbican Centre in London. "I never really know how to start," it says in a robotic male voice. "Which is probably because I run off Windows 8."

The performance last week was the brainchild of Pat Healey and Kleomenis Katevas at Queen Mary University of London, who meant it not only to entertain but also to investigate what makes live events compelling.

As we watched, cameras tracked our facial expressions, gaze and head movements. The researchers will use this information to quantify our reactions to Robothespian's performance and to compare them with our responses to two seasoned human comics – Andrew O'Neill and Tiernan Douieb – who performed before the robot.

Robot repartee

The routine I saw was completely pre-programmed, right down to the timing and delivery of the jokes, although Robothespian has also done one in which he read the same script but modified his delivery in response to the audience's reactions.

Healey and Katevas aren't just playing for laughs: they want to find out how to make a robot socially engaging. That knowledge will be important if robots are to work in our homes, not just factories. Personally, though, I want to know just how funny a robot can be.

Robothespian certainly has some technical tricks that a human can't match, such as voicing recorded sound. "R2-D2 swears all the time," says Robothespian, who seamlessly produces the familiar noises of the fictional robot R2-D2 in Star Wars. "We have to bleep him out for the kids."

Another of the robot's advantages is more surprising: because I feel less empathy for Robothespian than for the human comics, I feel more relaxed during his performance. When the humans take to the stage, there's an initial tension that grips me – an intense hope that they won't disappoint – and it's missing with Robothespian. Presumably that's because I won't feel awkward if a pile of metal flunks on stage.

Robothespian is harder to understand than his human counterparts, though: the emphasis isn't always right, and with fast-moving patter, I often had to strain to catch the punchline.

Hecklers would also have an open goal with a Robothespian. On this occasion, people are too polite to talk back to him, but his human counterparts don't fancy his chances of managing the audience comments that they have deal with in a bar or comedy club. "A good heckle put-down has to be off the cuff," says O'Neill. Robothespian has no way of making up a reply on the fly, as everything he says is completely scripted.

Tech titters

Still, robot comedy is a whole new genre, so there's much fresh material, which Robothespian's script, written by Douieb, exploits. Following on from the Star Wars and Microsoft references, there's a nod to Apple: "I once dated a MacBook. It didn't work because she was all 'i, i, i'." But I find the robot funniest when he plays on our assumption that robots should be overly literal. "You know what really pushes my buttons?" says Robothespian. "That guy that's in control of me," pointing to a man sitting with a laptop at the back of the stage. "You know what really turns me on? It's that guy again."

O'Neill and Douieb envy Robothespian's instant character and context, which they say is comedy gold as it both puts the audience at ease and give the performance a context. "He has a USP," says O'Neill.

But that could also be a downside. Humanity has a diverse culture, giving us endless ways to make fun of ourselves, but if robots' best jokes are always about machines, the material might run dry pretty quickly.

Robothespian isn't the only robot comic. Heather Knight, a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and founder of a robot film festival, has also created a stand-up robot, Data. He's a Nao, a robot made by Aldebaran Robotics based in Paris, France, which is small, cute and so quite a different proposition to Robothespian. Data uses artificial intelligence to select from different joke genresMovie Camera depending on the audience response, which is monitored with sensors a bit like those used in Robothespian's performance.

Robot comedy may not be quite as rich as human comedy, but the Barbican show proves that in certain contexts it can be funnier. Initial results from the performances last week already suggest that – as fleshly comics know – timing is key to tapping your audience's funny bone. As Douieb says: "As a machine to make people laugh, it is well on the way."

Clarification: When this article was first published on 15 August 2013, it did not mention Kleomenis Katevas.
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MythopoeikaOffline
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PostPosted: 18-08-2013 15:27    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not that funny - that article is just wrong.

It'll be a while before a robot really can crack jokes with perfect comedic timing.
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Ronson8Offline
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PostPosted: 18-08-2013 18:51    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still funnier than Jim Davidson.
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MythopoeikaOffline
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PostPosted: 18-08-2013 19:31    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ronson8 wrote:
Still funnier than Jim Davidson.


I have to agree with you there.
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gncxxOffline
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PostPosted: 18-08-2013 20:10    Post subject: Reply with quote

But not as funny as Cosmos Transmutazoid.
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PostPosted: 26-08-2013 11:56    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Will we ever want to have sex with robots?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23637225
By Tim Bowler
Business reporter, BBC News

Roxxxy the robot publicity shot

Is this really the future of human-robot relations?

Meet Roxxxy the sex robot with a triple XXX. Depending on your view 'she' is either at the cutting edge of the human-robot interface, or a modern reflection on some men's difficulties in relating to real-life partners.

While sex aids are nothing new, what makes Roxxxy different is "we've taken artificial intelligence" and "combined it with a human form," says creator Douglas Hines.

Of course, humanoid robots have been the stuff of science fiction for decades - ever since Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis, or Isaac Asimov's I Robot stories.

Continue reading the main story

Start Quote

The gap between what is robotic and mechanical and what's human-like will minimise”

Douglas Hines
TC Systems and True Companion
The reality is somewhat more clunky.

Walking robots currently have little commercial value - they are expensive and are prone to falling over if they are placed on anything other than a flat surface.

One of the best of the bunch is Japan's all singing and dancing female robot, HRP-4C, from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

The main drawback of this type of robot is that they have a very short battery life - they only last for about 20 minutes.

It is enough for a rather impressive dancing routine from HRP-4C says the team, but for little else.

"One practical application for biped humanoid robots is the entertainment industry," says AIST "provided the robots can move very realistically like humans."

Loving the robot
In 2007, the British chess player and artificial intelligence (AI) expert David Levy said in his book, Love and Sex with Robots, we would be having sex with robots in five years - and be capable of falling in love with them within 40 years.

His argument is based on improvements in robotic engineering and computer programming - and extrapolating from the income generated by the porn industry each year.

Female robot from Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis
Magnificent but malevolent - Maria the robot from Fritz Lang's sci-fi classic Metropolis
Such robots would be a "terrific service" for mankind, he argued.

As for Roxxxy, she weighs in at 60lb (27kg) is 5ft 7in (1.70m) high and comes with a variety of hair colours, moveable limbs and 'lifelike' skin.

She is the brainchild of electrical engineer and computer scientist Douglas Hines, the founder of TC Systems and True Companion, who formerly worked in the artificial intelligence lab at AT&T Bell Laboratories.

He says the sex robot developed from his firm's line of healthcare robots, which were designed to look after elderly or infirm patients.

"Our skill-set is based on commercial and military robotics and what we did is we looked for an opportunity in the marketplace to apply that technology.

"One very obvious market is healthcare - but there's a less-known which is gaining more and more momentum which is the sex industry."

'Exciting time'
Mr Hines says his aim in developing his robot's artificial intelligence engine, was to go beyond a simple sex aid and to provide companionship.

Continue reading the main story

Start Quote

The pretend self of a robot calls forth the pretend self of a person performing for it”

Sherry Turkle
MIT
"The life experience with a partner goes beyond that - and that's really what we've gone for."

However, no matter how well-programmed a robot may be, it is still a machine, and he agrees a plastic and metal humanoid is not capable of replacing the real thing - yet.

"We are getting closer and closer. The gap between what is robotic and mechanical and what's human-like will minimise, so it's a very exciting time."

Roxxxy costs up to $9,000 (£5,700) and there is also a male version called Rocky. Later this year the company plans a more advanced model which it says will be mobile and autonomous.

At the heart of our relationships with such machines, fictional or not, is the question of what it means to be human and to relate to others.

While no machine, however well-engineered, can ever feel empathy - something which defines us humans - it might be able to simulate it well enough to allow us to play along and treat it as if it were a sentient being.

Novelty appeal
Japan's HRP-4C robot, dancing and singing with live performers in Tokyo
Dancing queen - HRP-4C - is the one on the right
But will there ever be more than a fetish or novelty appeal in such robots?

In a survey earlier this year, one-in-11 of people - some 9% - told a YouGov poll for the Huffington Post in the US that they would be prepared to have sex with a robot.

That works out at over 25 million Americans - which could translate into a lot of robot sales.

Yet critics caution that we should not be too quick to embrace robots like Roxxxy.

"It is time to reconsider the premise that a robot is better than nothing," says Sherry Turkle, psychologist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Because, if you are trying to solve the problem of care and companionship with a robot, you are not trying to solve it with the people you need to solve it with - friends, family, community."

Not promising
"We may think we are only making robots," she told this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "but really we are re-making human values and connections.

"The pretend self of a robot calls forth the pretend self of a person performing for it," she said.

And that, she says is not promising "for adults trying to live authentically and navigate life's real, human problems".
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MythopoeikaOffline
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PostPosted: 26-08-2013 12:14    Post subject: Reply with quote

It'll take a while to catch on. Porn vids and sex aids are much cheaper.

Perhaps it is more likely to catch on in China, where there are millions of frustrated young men who will never get a chance of a relationship with an actual woman.
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PostPosted: 17-09-2013 13:59    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

Snake Robot On Mars?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130916091021.htm

The researchers envisage using the rover to navigate over large distances, after which the snake robot can detach itself and crawl into tight, inaccessible areas. (Credit: Image courtesy of SINTEF)

Sep. 16, 2013 — The ESA wants its operations on other planets to have greater mobility and manoeuvrability. SINTEF researchers are looking into whether snake robots could be the answer.

So far, NASA has landed four rovers on Mars. These are solar-powered robots with six wheels and robotic arms that can take soil samples and operate cameras. Sojourner landed in 1997, Spirit and Opportunity in 2003, while the more advanced Curiosity was landed last summer. "Manoeuvrability is a challenge. The Spirit rover was lost after it became stuck in the sand on Mars. The vehicles just cannot get to many of the places from which samples have to be taken," say Pål Liljebäck and Aksel Transeth at SINTEF ICT.

The researchers are busy working on a feasibility study assigned to them by the ESA. The ESA and the researchers believe that by combining a rover that can navigate over large distances with a snake robot that can crawl along the ground and can get into inaccessible places, so many more possibilities could be opened up.

At the moment, soil samples from Mars are analysed on board the rover itself, and the results are communicated back to Earth. However, The ESA also wants to examine options that could allow samples to be returned to Earth. Snake robots could assist with collecting such samples, since they enable access to tight spots that the rovers cannot reach.

An arm becomes a snake robot

"We are looking at several alternatives to enable a rover and a robot to work together. Since the rover has a powerful energy source, it can provide the snake robot with power through a cable extending between the rover and the robot. If the robot had to use its own batteries, it would run out of power and we would lose it," explains Aksel Transeth.

"One option is to make the robot into one of the vehicle's arms, with the ability to disconnect and reconnect itself, so that it can be lowered to the ground, where it can crawl about independently." The researchers envisage using the rover to navigate over large distances, after which the snake robot can detach itself and crawl into tight, inaccessible areas. A cable will connect the robot to the vehicle. The cable will supply power and tractive power, i.e. it can be winched back to the rover. Communication between the pair will be facilitated via signals transmitted down the cable.

"The connection between the robot and the rover also means that the snake robot will be able to assist the vehicle if the latter gets stuck," says Liljebäck. "In such a situation, the robot could lower itself to the ground and coil itself around a rock enabling the rover pull itself loose by means of the cable winch, which the rover would normally use to pull the snake robot towards the rover."

Report to the ESA "At the Department of Applied Cybernetics, we have been working closely with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU's) Department of Engineering Cybernetics on snake robots for many years, and our teams have had some ideas about this for a long time," say Transeth and Liljebäck. "It is only now that we are starting to see some actual applications, and it is wonderful to be given this opportunity to provide the ESA with information about future technologies in this field. What we hope is that our ideas will trigger the ESA into initiating a targeted development process around this kind of system."

Videos: http://robotnor.no/research/serpentine-robots-for-planetary-exploration-serpex/

So far, NASA has landed four rovers on Mars: Sojourner in 1997, Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, and Curiosity in 2012. The latter is highly advanced and comes with a built-in laboratory. The ESA has new missions planned for 2016 and 2028.

The above story is based on materials provided by SINTEF.
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ramonmercadoOffline
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PostPosted: 29-09-2013 23:45    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not just human but possibly a robot guide dog. Hmm, I know a certain Jack Russell Terrier thats been known to attack guide dogs. At the end of the article theres a link to a vid.

Quote:
Human Robot Getting Closer: iCub Robot Must Learn from Its Experiences
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130927094546.htm

A robot that feels, sees and, in particular, thinks and learns like us. It still seems like science fiction, but if it's up to UT researcher Frank van der Velde, it won't be. In his work he wants to implement the cognitive process of the human brain in robots. The research should lead to the arrival of the latest version of the iCub robot in Twente. This human robot (humanoid) blurs the boundaries between robot and human. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Twente)

Sep. 27, 2013 — A robot that feels, sees and, in particular, thinks and learns like us. It still seems like science fiction, but if it's up to University of Twente (UT) researcher Frank van der Velde, it won't be. In his work he wants to implement the cognitive process of the human brain in robots. The research should lead to the arrival of the latest version of the iCub robot in Twente. This human robot (humanoid) blurs the boundaries between robot and human.

Decades of scientific research into cognitive psychology and the brain have given us knowledge about language, memory, motor skills and perception. We can now use that knowledge in robots, but Frank van der Velde's research goes even further. "The application of cognition in technical systems should also mean that the robot learns from its experiences and the actions it performs. A simple example: a robot that spills too much when pouring a cup of coffee can then learn how it should be done."

Possible first iCub in the Netherlands

The arrival of the iCub robot at the University of Twente should signify the next step in this research. Van der Velde submitted an application together with other UT researchers Stefano Stramigioli, Vanessa Evers, Dirk Heylen and Richard van Wezel, all active in the robotics and cognitive research. At the moment, twenty European laboratories have an iCub, which was developed in Italy (thanks to a European FP7 grant for the IIT). The Netherlands is still missing from the list. Moreover, a newer version is currently being developed, with for example haptic sensors. In February it will be announced whether the robotics club will actually bring the latest iCub to the UT. The robot costs a quarter of a million Euros and NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) will reimburse 75% of the costs. Then the TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) and the universities of Groningen, Nijmegen, Delft and Eindhoven can also make use of it. Within the UT, the iCub can be deployed in different laboratories thanks to a special transport system.

Robot guide dog

The possibilities are endless, according to Van der Velde. "The new iCub has a skin and fingers that have a much better sense of touch and can feel strength. That makes interaction with humans much more natural. We want to ensure that this robot continues to learn and understands how people function. This research ensures, for example, that robots actually gather knowledge by focusing on certain objects or persons. In areas of application like healthcare and nursing, such robots can play an important role. A good example would be that in ten years' time you see a blind person walking with a robot guide dog."

Nano-neural circuits

A recent line of research that is in line with this profile is the development of electronic circuits that resemble a web of neurons in the human brain. Contacts have already been made to start this research in Twente. In the iCub robot, this can for example be used for the robot's visual perception. This requires a lot of relatively simple operations that must all be performed in parallel. This takes a lot of time and energy in the current systems. With electronic circuits in the form of a web of nerve cells this is much easier.

"These connections are only possible at the nanoscale, that is to say the scale at which the material is only a few atoms thick. In combination with the iCub robot, it can be investigated how the experiences of the robot are recorded in such materials and how the robot is controlled by nano-neural circuitry. The bottleneck of the existing technical systems is often the energy consumption and the size. The limits of Moore's Law, the proposition that the number of transistors in a circuit doubles every two years through technological advances, are reached. In this area we are therefore also on the verge of many new applications."

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcTwO2dpX8A
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Ronson8Offline
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PostPosted: 30-09-2013 09:29    Post subject: Reply with quote

Impressive!
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PostPosted: 07-10-2013 12:21    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a little freaky...

Quote:
The Pentagon's Super-Fast Robot Now Runs on Its Own

Last year, DARPA unveiled Cheetah: a robot that could run faster than Usain Bolt. Now, the same team has managed to create a version that doesn't need a power cord, making the electronic beast free to roam wherever it chooses. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

A relative of Cheetah, say hello to WildCat. This robot is based on the same design as Cheetah, but doesn't have the tethered power cable of its predecessor; instead, it has a large—and quite loud!—motor attached to it.

That extra weight does means it can't quite match the pace—Cheetah can reach 28mph, while WildCat can only manage 16mph. But, hey, given that's faster than most of us can run, it's not too bad. And remember, WildCat can keep up that speed for as long as it motor runs, which humans definitely can't.

http://gizmodo.com/the-pentagons-super-fast-robot-is-now-completely-wirel-1441049929
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PostPosted: 07-10-2013 13:40    Post subject: Reply with quote

More on active robots. 2 vids at link.

Quote:
Pentagon-funded Atlas robot refuses to be knocked over
By Matthew Wall
Technology reporter, BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24427821

Boston Dynamics road-tests its Atlas robot on rough terrain

Meet Atlas, a humanoid cyborg capable of crossing rough terrain and maintaining its balance on one leg even when hit from the side.

And WildCat, the four-legged robot that can gallop untethered at up to 16mph (26km/h).

These are the latest creations of Boston Dynamics, a US robotics company part-funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).

The robots are part of Darpa's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation programme.

Darpa says such robots "hold great promise for amplifying human effectiveness in defence operations".

Referring to Atlas's ability to remain balanced despite being hit by a lateral weight, Noel Sharkey, professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC: "This is an astonishing achievement... quite a remarkable feat."

This version of Atlas is one of seven humanoid robots Boston Dynamics is developing in response to the Darpa Robotics Challenge.

In December, competing robots will be set eight tasks to test their potential for use in emergency-response situations, including crossing uneven ground, using power tools and driving a rescue vehicle.

Darpa wants to improve the manoeuvrability and controllability of such robots while reducing manufacturing costs.

WildCat strike?

Boston Dynamics puts its WildCat robot through its paces
WildCat can bound, gallop and turn, mimicking the movements of quadruped animals. It is powered by an internal combustion engine.

"It is a shame that such technology is not being developed with other research funding," said Prof Sharkey, who is also chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control.

"We do not know what military purpose it will serve but certainly it is a step towards a high-speed ground robot that could be weaponised to hunt and kill."

The video shows WildCat performing on a flat surface, but Prof Sharkey said: "It would be good to see how well it could perform in a muddy field."

Last year, Boston Dynamics' Cheetah robot reached a sprint speed of 28.3mph tethered to a treadmill.

Geoff Pegman, managing director of RURobots, told the BBC: "Robotics has been making important strides in recent years, and these are a couple of demonstrations of the technology moving forward.

"However, their application may be limited to areas such as defence and, maybe specialised construction or demolition tasks.

"In other applications there are more efficient ways of achieving the mobility more cost effectively."
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