Originally Posted by 2MuchMark

Freaking amazing!

Let's think about that for a second.

The robot has to figure out how much energy is required to lift itself off the ground, how much more is required to spin it around backwards at exactly the right rate, so that it lands on its feet, absorbing any exceeds energy so it doesn't break anything.

It has to know how much it weighs, how tall it is, and how much it's "knees" and "ankles" can bend. Were these valued entered by a human, or does it determine that all by itself? I'm guessing it figures it out on its own because Atlas is made to carry things for the military, so it probably has to know its own weight, how fast it can move, and how much energy is left in its batteries so it can calculate distance.

All the calculation is probably fairly simple, compared to the mechanics required to actually pull it off. The little motors have to be strong enough to push, flip, land, etc etc. It has to know about its gears, tolerances, hydraulics, etc etc.

I just watched it a second time and noticed that like a human, it uses its arms to adjust its center of gravity. WOW!

Incredible engineering. Love it.