Check this #humanoid #robot enjoys nature thoroughly. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/18/watch-googles-new-humanoid-robot-run-through-the-woods-323/

ATLAS, THE HUMANOID ROBOT

Meet Atlas, the gargantuan humanoid robot developed by the Alphabet-owned Boston Dynamics. Atlas can be seen running through a forest in an astonishing new video. The video’s experiment is also the first time that the robot’s capabilities have been tested outdoors. It has inspired a comparison of the 344 lb, 6’2 tall Atlas to the Terminator.

Marc Raibert, the founder of Boston Dynamics, explained the details of the experiment at the Fab Lab 11 conference at MIT earlier this month. The purpose of Atlas’ run through the woods was to find out how the robot would perform in an unfamiliar setting and test its balance.

Though Atlas currently requires the assistance of someone holding a connected power pack to run, Raibert has said that it will be able to run on its own in the future.

The Irish Examiner commented “Yes, the robots can now chase us through the woods.”And, aside from running, Atlas can also turn doorknobs because it has the ability to rotate its own wrists.

HISTORY OF ATLAS

Atlas the humanoid robot was debuted in July 2013 by Boston Dynamics, when the company was owned by Google (which is now owned by Alphabet.) It receives funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is interested in using the robot for military situations.

Like Google’s self-driving cars, the humanoid robot perceives the world with a laser radar system. As PCWorld pointed out, several changes were made to the robot this year as part of an upgrade. Among other improvements, its arms were repositioned to become visible to it, its actuators were modified to help it pick itself up from the ground and it was given lighter materials.

ROBO SAPIENS

After its release, artificial intelligence expert Gary Bradski claimed that “A new species, Robo sapiens, are emerging.”

Raibert’s ultimate goal is to develop robots that can equal or exceed human capabilities, he explained at the conference. The Boston Dynamics founder told the Fab 11 conference’s crowd that “We’re making pretty good progress, so [Atlas] has mobility that’s sort of within shooting range of yours.”

This goal, if achieved, might lend credence to some fears about AI.

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Homo sapiens would like this:

Watch Google"s New Humanoid Robot Run Through The Woods

Google Now Owned by "Alphabet" - http://clapway.com/2015/08/11/google-now-owned-by-alphabet123/

Google made a huge surprise announcement on Monday night that calls for a complete corporate restructuring. The move will separate the core business of Google from its research divisions, splitting up the company into a conglomerate of businesses all owned by a new parent company, Alphabet .

What Does that Mean?

It means that Google is no longer the sole parent company of its wide range of different businesses, including Google X , Nest Labs , and Calico . Instead, Google will be separating itself from these research groups, while retaining its core business— Youtube , Gmail , Google Play for Android , and of course, Search .

This new conglomerate will be owned by Alphabet—a new parent company that will own both Google’s core business, and its sister-research companies. Alphabet will be owned by Larry Page , the co-founder and CEO of Google, while the new core business of Google will be run by Page’s second-in-command, Sundar Pichai .

But Why?

Because Google has grown to be so much more than just a search engine, since its creation in 1997. Since it first appeared on the internet, Larry Page and Sergey Brin—both co-founders of the original Google—have tried to diversify the company’s goals as much as possible, creating research divisions to work on projects ranging from creating simple household appliances , to computerized glasses , to self-driving cars .

Now that Google has become so much more than the internet services that we usually think of when we hear its name, Brin and Page want to focus more on diversifying the company by giving its research groups more attention. By breaking Google apart into a bunch of different businesses, all owned by the parent company Alphabet, Brin and Page claim they will be able to spend more time on these research projects—projects on the cutting edge of science, with the potential to change the world, and bring in higher profits.

Will Anything Change?

Yes—but most likely nothing that you would notice. After all, the Google that we know and love is staying exactly the same as it used to be, including all Google-owned websites and services. The only things that are likely to change are the names of Google’s research divisions, as they are no longer required to carry the “Google” name, but instead owned by Alphabet.

Aside from these skin-deep changes, investors will be happy to learn that Alphabet’s ownership of Google’s former research companies will make it much easier to track each individual division’s quarterly progress. This is a big step forward for investors, who are applauding the increased corporate transparency.

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Here is his review of the RWATCH R10 smartwatch provided to us by GearBest. Watch now on Clapway TV.

Google Now Owned by "Alphabet"