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Artificial intelligence

Yes, Atlas is running, but please don’t panic

A new video shows the world’s most advanced humanoid robot running merrily through fields and leaping over logs. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering, but don’t be too alarmed: there are still some significant limitations.

Run: Boston Dynamics has received plenty of attention for videos of eerily lifelike legged robots in action. The latest clip shows the company’s two-legged machine, Atlas, running and jumping with impressive speed. This is incredibly difficult for a two-legged machine to do on uneven ground. It requires a very sensitive sense of balance and lightning reflexes.

One step closer: The feat is progress toward enabling robots to go anywhere a person can. Boston Dynamics was founded by Marc Raibert, a roboticist who has done pioneering work on having robots balance themselves dynamically. Raibert previously ran a lab at CMU, and then one at MIT.

Chill: People often get a bit creeped out by the Boston Dynamics robots, but there are several reasons why you shouldn’t be the least bit worried about Atlas. For one thing, it’s operated by a person wielding a large remote control. For another, the robot is incredibly expensive and power hungry. And finally, it is still quite prone to falling over.

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Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.

Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.

Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch

Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.

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Illustration by Rose Wong

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