DARPA's New Atlas Humanoid Robot Steps Out in Style (Video)

DARPA has unveiled the most advanced humanoid robot yet. Dubbed "Atlas," the 6'2''-tall creation looks as if it could cause some serious damage if it wanted to. Yet the robot could be a huge step forward when it comes to the creation of life-like humanoid machines that could be used in search and rescue missions.

Atlas can walk, balance and handle most obstacles put in front of it when it moves. With 28 hydraulic joints, it can replicate almost every degree of human motion--and then some. Weighing in at 330 pounds, the robot also possesses an on-board computer and some of the most advanced robotic limbs ever created, according to Extreme Tech.

The robot was originally designed as a disaster response robot and was created by Boston Dynamics for DARPA. The idea was that it can go where people can't under dangerous conditions, looking for survivors and hopefully taking them to safety. In fact, the robot is just one of several competing in DARPA's Virtual Robotics Challenge, a public contest with a $2 million grand prize that was launched in October last year. It encourages people across the globe to try and design the best robotic systems possible for disaster response, according to The Verge.

"Two weeks ago 19 brave firefighters lost their lives," said Gil Pratt, a program manager at DARPA, in an interview with the New York Times. "A number of us who are in the robotics field see these events in the news, and the thing that touches us very deeply is a single kind of feeling which is, can't we do better? All of this technology that we work on, can't we apply that technology to do much better? I think the answer is yes."

What makes this robot truly spectacular, though, is its ability to cope with rough terrain. It possesses LIDAR, or light-based radar. This detection and ranging system is used by autonomous vehicles, such as Google's self-driving car. Incredibly accurate, it allows Atlas to detect any impediments in its way.

Currently, though, Atlas is just a shell. It's missing the software that it will need to conduct search-and-rescue missions. In fact, seven teams from the current DARPA competition will get to design software for the robot, competing to see which version will fit it the best.

Want to see Atlas in action? Check out the video below, courtesy of DARPA and YouTube.