In this era of science and technology where everyone is so proactive to invent challenging and adorable robots, a company named Boston dynamics has already discovered robots that can run and maneuvered like animals. Founded in 1992, it is an American engineering and robotic design company who started itself as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of technology where it has developed its first robot. The company has an extraordinary technical team of scientists who are much focused and effortlessly tries to combine advanced analytical thinking with bold engineering aspects and boots-in-the mud practicality. At present, the team is an emphasis on merging the principles of dynamic control and balance with stylish mechanical designs, cutting-edge electronics, and software for perception, navigation, creativity, and intelligence. The company use sensor-based techniques to unlock the capabilities of complex mechanisms.

Here is some basic information regarding the company:

Industry Robotics
Founded In 1992
Founder Marc Raibert
Headquarters Waltham, Massachusetts, United States.
parent SoftBank
Owner Google X (2013-2017),SoftBank(2017-)
website www.bostondynamics.com

Amazing Products developed by Boston:

  1. Handle:  Handle is an intelligent robot that combines the rough-terrain capability of legs with the adeptness of wheels.  Due to the compact size and 10 actuated joints, it is significantly less complex. The handle used many principles of biped or quadruped robots in the field of dynamics, balance, and mobile manipulation. As wheels are fast enough on the flat surfaces and make the handle more efficient than any other robot. Also, the legs of a handle are free to move and can go almost everywhere, where it is difficult for a human being to go.  We can’t deny the fact that Combination of legs and wheels makes the handle the best of both worlds.

Features:

  • A simple and brave robot is used to pick up heavy loads while lodging small footprints on the surface.
  • It can also move in tight spaces while autonomously balancing itself.
  • The joints of handle collectively coordinate to provide agile high strength mobile manipulation.

Specifications:                 

Height 2 m
Weight 105 kg
Power Battery
payload 45 kg
Actuation Hydraulic and Electric
Joints Max. 10 joints
Perception Depth Cameras

In short, Handle is a robot that is small as well as capable enough to do things which helps people from every aspect.

  1. Spot Mini:  The robot Spot-Mini inherited the property of mobility from his big brother Spot, with some additional properties as well. It is a four-legged robot that can fit in home and office comfortably. The quietest robot Spot-Mini works on electricity and can go for about 90 minutes on a single charge, which depends on what it is doing.

Features:

  • It has the ability to pick up and handle the objects with the help of its arm that have the five degrees of freedom.
  • The robot also installed with some perception sensors, which includes stereo cameras, depth cameras, an IMU and position sensors.
  • The sensors increased a robot’s proficiency by helping it in navigation and mobile manipulation.

Specifications:

Height 0.84 m
Weight 30 kg
Power Battery
payload 14 kg
Actuation Electric
Joints Max. 17 joints
Perception 3D Vision System

We heard that good thing comes in small packages, and this holds true for Spot Mini robot who can handle objects, climbs stairs and many more.

  1. Atlas:  It is the latest humanoid robot that the company has been developing using advanced technology. It is fitted with such an intelligent control system that can coordinates motions of the arms, torso, and legs. Thus, the structure and intelligence of the robot helps it to achieve whole body manipulations, and also increased its reach and workspace.  The adorable robot Atlas Save its weight and space with the help of 3D printing. The highly compact robot has a high strength comparison to its weight and an intensely vast workspace.

Features:

  • The robot has the ability to operate objects in its environment with the support of the stereo vision, range sensing and other sensors.
  • The control system of the robot helps it to keep its balance when pushed and can get up if it tips over.

Specifications:

Height 1.5 m
Weight 75 kg
Power Battery
payload 11 kg
Actuation Hydraulic
Joints Max. 28 joints
Perception LIDAR and Stereo Vision

At the end, it is not wrong to say that Atlas is the world’s most dynamic Humanoid robot who uses its balance and body skills to attain two-handed mobile manipulation.

  1. Spot: The robot has discovered using the lessons which used to develop BigDog, Cheetah, and LS3. It is quite obvious to say that it is the mixture of these robots or can say that these robots roll out to make an extraordinary four-legged robot with super-human stability. It is designed for indoor and outdoor operations and can operate for 45 minutes on a charge.

Features:

  • With a suite of onboard sensors, it has the ability to maintain its balance.
  • In conjunction with sensors, it has LIDAR and stereo vision that makes it capable to sense rough terrain environment and negotiate the same.

Specifications:         

Height 0.94 m
Weight 75 kg
Power Battery
payload 45 kg
Actuation Hydraulic
Joints Max. 12 joints
Perception 360 Scanning LIDAR

The spot has been upbringing for a new approach to dynamic robot control that may bring autonomy within reach.

  1. LS3: This meant for Legged Squad Support Systems, specially designed to go anywhere in Marines with soldiers to help them in carrying their loads. It has such brainpower that it can automatically follow its leader using the service of computer vision. LS3 was funded by DARPA ad US Marine Corps and the scientists of various Laboratories like the Jet Propulsion, Bell Helicopter, etc. assembled to develop it.

Features:

  • The brilliant robot uses its terrain sensors and GPS to reach at designated locations by avoiding any obstacles.
  • It can carry 182 kg of gear and enough fuel for 32 km mission that can last 24 hours.

Specifications:

Height 1.7 m
Weight 590 kg
Power Gas & Diesel Engines
payload 181 kg
Actuation Hydraulic
Joints Max. 12 joints
Perception LIDAR, Stereo Vision

It can be titled as ‘The Alpha Dog’ of all the legged robots with such great power.

  1. WildCat: A WildCat,-the fastest free running quadruped robot in the world, is powered by a methanol burning engine that makes a whale of a noise. The robot uses a variety of postures, including jogging, jumping and sprinting to maintain its balance while running on uneven surfaces. To control and stabilize the running motion of a robot, it uses onboard computing that uses dynamic control algorithms and a multiplicity of sensors. The DARPA’s maximum mobility and Manipulation program had funded Boston to develop this incredible robot.

Features:

  • It can run at a speed of 32 km/ hour which was previously 21km/hour while maintaining its balance.
  • Looking much like a dog or horse, it can inclines into turns in order to maintain grip and balance.

Specifications:                 

Height 2 m
Weight 105 kg
Power Battery
payload 45 kg
Actuation Hydraulic and Electric
Joints Max. 10 joints
Perception Depth Cameras
  1. BigDog: The four-legged robot has a structure like a large dog or small mule, with obedient elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to next. It is inserted with many sensors such as for locomotion, internal state, monitoring the hydraulic pressure, oil temperature, battery charges, and the countless list goes on. Locomotion sensors include joint position, joint force, ground load, LIDAR and stereo vision system. It was funded by DARPA and Army Research Laboratory’s RCTA program.

Features:

  • The onboard computer of BigDog robot controls locomotion and handles communication with the user.
  • Its control system keeps it balanced and manages locomotion on different terrain, and in addition, does navigation.
  • The robot can run at 10km/hour, walks across rubble, walks in snow and water, and carries up to 150kg weights.
  • The potential robot can also climb muddy hiking trails, climbs slopes up to 35 degrees.

Specifications:

Height 1 m
Weight 109 kg
Power Gasoline Engine
payload 45 kg
Actuation Hydraulic
Joints Max. 16 joints
Perception LIDAR, Stereo Cameras

It is known as the first advanced rough terrain who has left the labs and has come out in the real world.

  1. SandFlea: It is a small robot with one jumping leg and four wheels. The amazing robot uses its wheels to stay level during a flight so the machinist gets a clear view and ensures a smooth 4-wheel landing. It has the proficiency to jump 25 times on one charge. It was funded by the US Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, DARPA, and Sandia National Laboratory.

Features:

  • It can drive like RC car on flat terrain.
  • It is fitted with such creativity that helps it to jump 10 m into the air to avoid obstacles.
  • The ability of jumping makes it much efficient to jump over a compound wall or even onto the roof of a house.

Specifications:

Height 15 m
Weight 5kg
Power Battery and Propane
Actuation electric
Joints Max. 5 joints

The functionality of leaping a small building in single steps makes this robot very usable for the public.

  1. RHex: The first six-legged robot developed by Boston with outstanding mobility on a variety of terrains makes it very popular among users. It has the front and rear facing cameras that help its operator to get a remote view of its surroundings.  The robot’s body is fully covered or have the sealed body which makes it completely operational in any conditions such as wet weather, muddy and swamp circumstances and flow ducts.

RHex was developed by using the funds given by DARPA and the US Army Equipping Force.

Features:

  • Rhex can traverses rock fields, mud, sand, vegetation and the huge chain of conditions goes on, that is impossible to roll out all of them here. In short, it can traverse all of the conditions.
  • It has independently controlled legs that produce specialized steps to drive on rough terrain with minimum interfere of an operator.

Specifications:                 

Height 14 cm
Weight 12 kg
Power battery
payload 2 kg
Actuation Electric
Joints Max. 6 joints
Perception Teleoperation Camera

The RHex is a passively-stable robot that has the capacity to devour rough terrain with high mobility.

  1. PETMAN: It is one of the Robots of Boston that is constructed for testing chemical protection suits. It is the first robot by Boston that can move like a human being. Moreover, its technology is similar to BigDog. Boston’s partners for developing PETMAN are MRIGlobal, Measurement Technologies Northwest, Smith Carter CUH2a and HHI Corporation.

Features:

  • It can balances itself and moves freely without any help of an operator.
  • PETMAN can also stimulate human physiology within suit by controlling temperature, sweating, and humidity.

In addition to above all, there are two more machines that Boston maintains them for DARPA and these are RISE and LittleDog who have the functionality like climbing on trees and fences, dynamic locomotion gaits, and manages communication, etc.

List of Competitors of Boston:

Sr. no. Name of Company Description
1 Double Robotics Double robotics is focused on building innovative products in the field of robotics. In addition to this, it is the developer of an iPad-based telepresence robot.
2 Kamigami Robots It is the company that builds high-performance, low costs robots by combining technology, biology, and advanced manufacturing techniques.
3 Locus Robotics The locus robotics offering the solutions to improve the warehouse labor productivity 5-8 times over traditional methods.
4 Endeavor Robotics The company develops the robots for defense and military to help soldiers. It is founded in 2016 by Sean Bielat.
5 CLEARPATH Robotics It manufactures unmanned automobiles for development applications and industrial research. It was founded in 2009 and CEO of the company is Matt Rendall.
6 GROOVE X The company is manufacturing and developing a next-generation robot that may truly touch people’s hearts. It was founded in 2015.
7 ENERGID Technologies It is a machine vision company who provides robotics with remote control software. It was founded in 2001.

In the modern world of technology, the team of Boston has marked their presence in the industry of robotics. With the production of these incredible robots, Boston has left its competitors widened-eye. The creativity and intelligence of the above robots show that the scientists and engineers of Boston are really very enthusiastic about the spirit of helping people. The robots like LS3 and BigDog are specially designed to help soldiers in their dangerous missions which are the perfect example that expresses the patriotism feeling of the company towards the country. The company works in such a cooperative manner that no one has any offense with his or her coworkers. The future of the company is definitely like blooming stars if it is developing the robot with such advanced technology. It is worthy to say that Boston is one of the best companies of the robotic industry who is growing at a vast pace and has given the challenge to all of them.

It can’t be ignored that the Team members of Boston should pride themselves for building machines that break boundaries and ease work in real life.


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