Last month, a brief video was uploaded to YouTube that fills me equally with delight and dread. A robot with the physical build of an NFL linebacker and the agility of a wide receiver leaps from a standstill onto a waist-high wooden block. It makes a deft 180-degree hop, then crouches, backflips onto the floor, and raises its arms in triumph. Welcome to the uncanny valley . Atlas, which its creator, Boston Dynamics, calls “the world’s most dynamic humanoid,” is designed to operate in a human environment. “Atlas’ ability to balance while performing tasks allows it to work in […]
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