# What's new, Atlas? (AI, Robotics and tech thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952 "2017-11-18T02:39:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/181 "2020-12-29T23:33:40Z")
Great. Now robots can dance better than I can… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/182 "2020-12-30T00:00:34Z")
That’s simply uncanny. There’s almost a stop-motion quality to their movements, like ED-209 from Robocop. BTW, SpaceX has been seen using a Spot robot (named Zeus, and with a Snoopy-style doghouse to boot: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QLL3fkqIHL0/maxresdefault.jpg "SpaceX Boca Chica - Zeus the Robodog Spotted - High Bay Rises Rapidly") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLL3fkqIHL0) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/183 "2020-12-30T16:33:10Z")
I agree! That was fantastic! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/184 "2020-12-30T16:59:55Z")
5 million views and an AP article in under 48 hours… not bad, eh. > **[Robots with rhythm: Boston Dynamics' dancing androids a hit](https://apnews.com/article/boston-waltham-massachusetts-137153406d1ac51eee42775c5039279c)** > > WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — These robots have rhythm. Boston Dynamics released ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/185 "2020-12-30T17:14:04Z")
I’ve seen many YouTube videos of Boston Dynamics’ two-legged and four-legged robots being demonstrated but does anyone actually use them for real work? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/186 "2020-12-30T17:18:27Z")
You gotta own the dancefloor before you can be put to work, no? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/187 "2020-12-30T17:58:06Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The folks at Nvidia have developed an AI that can render, among other things, realistic urban scenes. I’m not 100% sure, but it seems, to borrow a gaming term, to be a rogue-like terrain generator, which is pretty fucking cool. I know this post is from ages ago - I am still catching up. But I think this is a key point that shows how job losses could affect, for example, game designers. How many people does it take to create all the forests, cities, and ruins in a game like Skyrim? What if instead of making all these models (with many tiny variants - an old tapestry damaged in one way, a very similar tapestry damaged in a different way…) and hand-placing them around the world, you could just have a handful of artists make some stock models and arrange them in sample scenes which you then give over to an AI who combines the samples created intentionally with reference photos of real places to create an entire 3d game world procedurally? What if commoners you run into on the road don’t just have one of a few hundred pre-written lines that have to be written and voice acted, but is generated procedurally as well? The potential is astounding. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/188 "2020-12-30T18:28:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Imagine the military bringing a couple of printers and a bunch of pellets and simply making boats, housing, furniture, etc. all to order when it’s needed. Imagine us taking 3d printers to the ISS or a lunar base! ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/189 "2020-12-30T18:32:16Z")
Alright, all caught up. Between this and the space thread, at least the times we live in are scientifically interesting too, not just politically. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/190 "2020-12-30T18:48:55Z")
The Boston Dynamics saga in three acts is now complete: Human attacks robot [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cNZPRsrwumQ/maxresdefault.jpg "BigDog Overview (Updated March 2010)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ) Robot develops scary new capabilities in search for justice [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wXxrmussq4E/maxresdefault.jpg "New dog-like robot from Boston Dynamics can open doors") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXxrmussq4E) Robots celebrate after defeating human overlords [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fn3KWM1kuAw/maxresdefault.jpg "Do You Love Me?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3KWM1kuAw) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/191 "2020-12-30T19:37:02Z")
That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. Hard to believe that just a few short years ago Atlas could barely handle a few steps. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2020, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/192 "2020-12-31T03:03:30Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Imagine us taking 3d printers to the ISS or a lunar base! You do know that there is already a 3D printer on the ISS and multiple projects to develop additive manufacturing using available lunar materials (regolith)? > **[3D Printing recent news | Plastics Today](https://www.plasticstoday.com/plastics-processing/3d-printing)** > > Explore the latest news and expert commentary on 3D Printing, brought to you by the editors of Plastics Today [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576518303874](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576518303874) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/193 "2020-12-31T06:18:18Z")
I knew that was being worked on, I didn’t know if we had a working one up there yet or not. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/194 "2021-02-01T19:34:40Z")
They just posted this video featuring Spot with an arm: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6Zbhvaac68Y/maxresdefault.jpg "Spot's Got an Arm!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zbhvaac68Y) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/195 "2021-02-01T20:12:30Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > You do know that there is already a 3D printer on the ISS and multiple projects to develop additive manufacturing using available lunar materials (regolith)? Yeah, a few years ago they needed a wrench on the ISS, so the engineers on Earth designed one and sent the files to the station, where they 3d printed it. > **[Space Station 3-D Printer Builds Ratchet Wrench To Complete First Phase Of...](https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/space-station-3-d-printer-builds-ratchet-wrench-to-complete-first-phase-of-operations/)** > > The International Space Station’s 3-D printer completed the first phase of a NASA technology demonstration by printing a tool with a design file transmitted You can download the STL file for that wrench yourself and print one of your own, It’s a cool design - it prints in one piece, with fully working ratchet and everything. I printed one a couple of years ago. Even more exciting is the ability to 3d print aatellites in orbit. Send up a small box containing a printer and the raw material, and it can spin out large antennas or other structures needed for large satellites, deep space probes or habitats. I can imagine mining titanium powder on the moon (there’s lots of titanium in the regolith over wide swaths of the lunar surface). Send the stuff into lunar or earth orbit with either an electromagnetic rail system or a steam powered nuclear transfer vehicle, using lunar sourced water. Once the powder arrives at the manufacturing station in orbit, it is laser sintered into titanium components of all sorts, which are then incorporated into new aatellites. At some point, we may be able to make satellites by shipping only core pieces (electronics, motors, etc), and attaching it to structures built autonomously in orbit. I can imagine private company flying a large 3d printing facility in orbit, then offering manufactured parts like trusses and frames and antennas and such. Send up the files for all the printable parts you need for your satellite, then when you send up the core pieces, all the heavy parts are waiting in orbit. The tech for this already exists - it’s just a matter of engineering it for space use and putting it all together. Titanium 3d printers can be had for as little as $25,000. Energy to power it is unlimited in orbit - especially if you can bootstrap construction of solar panels to power it. Solar power sarellites are infeasable if launched from Earth, but if we could manufacture titanium trusses and solar panels in space from cheaply sourced lunar materials, it’s a whole new ball game. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/196 "2021-03-29T20:47:11Z")
> **[Boston Dynamics unveils Stretch: a new robot designed to move boxes in...](https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/29/22349978/boston-dynamics-stretch-robot-warehouse-logistics)** > > Coming to a warehouse near you in 2022 > The robot is called Stretch and looks relatively dull for a Boston Dynamics creation. It’s not modeled after humans or animals, and instead aims to be as practical as possible. It has a square mobile base containing a set of wheels, a “perception mast” with cameras and other sensors, and a huge robotic arm with seven degrees of freedom and a suction pad array on the end that can grab and move boxes up to 23 kilograms (50 lbs) in weight. > ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/197 "2021-05-11T21:13:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > > The folks at Nvidia have developed an AI that can render, among other things, realistic urban scenes. I’m not 100% sure, but it seems, to borrow a gaming term, to be a rogue-like terrain generator, which is pretty fucking cool. > > I know this post is from ages ago - I am still catching up. But I think this is a key point that shows how job losses could affect, for example, game designers. How many people does it take to create all the forests, cities, and ruins in a game like Skyrim? What if instead of making all these models (with many tiny variants - an old tapestry damaged in one way, a very similar tapestry damaged in a different way…) and hand-placing them around the world, you could just have a handful of artists make some stock models and arrange them in sample scenes which you then give over to an AI who combines the samples created intentionally with reference photos of real places to create an entire 3d game world procedurally? > > What if commoners you run into on the road don’t just have one of a few hundred pre-written lines that have to be written and voice acted, but is generated procedurally as well? > > The potential is astounding. I came in to post a link and Discourse indexed me to posts from last fall; as i scrolled down and skimmed things, I noticed your post, **Babale** , and thought it tied in great with what I came in to post: This AI can make video with speech from written scripts, and it can do it in under a minute, complete with inflections and appropriate body language. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iXqLTJFTUGc/maxresdefault.jpg "AI Makes Near-Perfect DeepFakes in 40 Seconds! 👨") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXqLTJFTUGc) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/198 "2021-05-11T22:33:24Z")
BAM! Here’s some more cool science news: > **[AIDS virus used in gene therapy to fix 'bubble baby' disease](https://apnews.com/article/gene-therapy-science-coronavirus-pandemic-health-3fad39460d5edae153307ebc83b22f91)** > > Doctors say a gene therapy that makes use of the AIDS virus has given a working immune system to 48 babies and toddlers who were born without one. > [@](#): > > A gene therapy that makes use of an unlikely helper, the AIDS virus, gave a working immune system to 48 babies and toddlers who were born without one, doctors reported Tuesday. > > Results show that all but two of the 50 children who were given the experimental therapy in a study now have healthy germ-fighting abilities. > > “We’re taking what otherwise would have been a fatal disease” and healing most of these children with a single treatment, said study leader Dr. Donald Kohn of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. > > “They’re basically ‘free range’ – going to school, doing normal things,” without the worry that any infection could become life-threatening, he said. > > The other two children who weren’t helped by the gene therapy later had successful bone marrow transplants. Doctors say it will take longer to know if any of the 50 are cured, but they seem to be well so far. Yes, this is “bubble baby disease”, made famous by the Travolta TV flick in the '70s [_The Boy in the Plastic Bubble_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_in_the_Plastic_Bubble). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/199 "2021-05-29T20:04:37Z")
I completely missed this last November; a short video of a woman using a new bionic/myoelectric arm & hand prosthesis. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tk7X3fPkdp8/maxresdefault.jpg "Nika uses Esper Hand. By Esper Bionics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk7X3fPkdp8) It reminds me a lot of the one that Angel Giuffria has but somehow seems ‘clunkier’ or something. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lkfJVP8wcRU/maxresdefault.jpg "Angel Giuffria Patient Profile") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkfJVP8wcRU) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2021, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952/200 "2021-05-29T20:33:15Z")
I had to laugh a bit at her holding the knife with her bionic hand and the apple with her meat hand. I know they’re trying to demo the dexterity, but–gah! I would _never_ hold the knife with my bionic hand if I had one. That’s the cut-resistant one! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-new-atlas-ai-robotics-and-tech-thread/801952.md?page=11)