Google seeks to commercialize humanoid robots

The first sign that Google now owns robotics heavyweight Boston Dynamics was when the Google bus rolled into the DARPA Robotics Challenge to offer engineers a place to kick back and take a nap. Officials at Google, a company known for offering extravagant perks like meditation pods and beach volleyball courts to employees, showed up at the Homestead Miami Speedway in southern Florida today to show support for their new team and to get a look at the Atlas robot, built by Boston Dynamics, and one of the stars of the challenge. The Atlas robot hardware was built by Boston Dynamics, which was recently acquired by Google. (Photo: Sharon Gaudin/Computerworld) Last week, Google confirmed reports that it had acquired Boston Dynamics, a company known for creating impressive robots like the four-legged BigDog robot, as well as Atlas, a six-foot-tall, 330-pound two-legged robot designed to function much like a human. Google, which is known for its search engine and popular Android mobile platform, had bought seven other robotics companies in the last several months, before snatching up Boston Dynamics. Industry analysts had speculated that the company is interested in beefing up the software for its autonomous cars with the robotics acquisitions, but many were surprised that Google would go for a robotics player as prominent as Boston Dynamics. Joe Bondaryk, project manager with Boston Dynamics, said Google is eager to get into humanoid robotics, and the company has the energy and the cash to advance the technology. "My understanding is they're very interested in the humanoid robots and what they could be made to do, and finding a commercial use and business purpose for them," said Bondaryk. "DARPA is all blue sky thinking, but Google is even more blue sky and it has deeper pockets." He also noted that Boston Dynamics will honor its government and military contracts but probably won't take on any new ones.emule acceleration patch registration code download cnr cp4sp1 vezeto intel 82810 graphics driver update adobe flash player latest version retro clock widget 1.6.4 apk prosavage pm133 driver lexmark z23 driver for xp rcon tool cod4 11 3 1 gratis tema laptop hello kitty windows 7 via vt6103l audio driver free