Boston Dynamics Industries – History, Robotics, Profile
The world is advancing, and we are honestly living in the future. One of the best examples of that is the fact that there are many robots and other inventions that walk around us at present.
But have you ever thought about the companies that make these robots?
In this article, I am going to talk to you about one of the best robot engineering companies called Boston Dynamics, which has been providing the services of creating and manufacturing robots to the world for a span of thirty years.
If you want to learn more about the company, keep reading the article till the end…
Boston Dynamics
One of the best engineering companies is situated in America, and it is called Boston Dynamics. It was founded in 1992 and is undoubtedly best known for its consistent development when it comes to the invention of high mobile dynamic robots.
The company works across an extensive range of simulation systems and computer intelligence. However, that is not all. It is also involved largely with the platforms related to advanced robotics.
The company builds some of the most advanced robots in the world, and that too with precise mobility, dexterity, agility, and speed.
They make everything from scratch. And when I say “from scratch,” I mean it. The company designs the concept of the robot and then moves on to the test building engineering of the project.
Not only that, but the company also develops software that helps them to deal with the robotics-related human simulation and eventually the training it.
History of Boston Dynamics
Looking for the history of the engineering company? Well, you need to look no further as you have reached your destination. The company was started in 1992 by the engineering genius Marc Raibert.
The company has connections with the American system corporation. In the beginning, the company was founded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Military.
There have been many ups and downs and changes in the ownership of the company.
In the year 2013, Google and its subsidiary Google X acquired ownership of the company as the interests of the world in the field of deep learning began to show. However, this venture did not last long as Google failed to turn it into a profitable business.
This loss was followed by the shutting down of the company, and Boston Dynamics was finally sold to the Japanese giant SoftBank in 2017.
But it is a known fact that running a company that deals in robots is a difficult task. That is the reason why SoftBack declared that the giant company Hyundai Motor Group had acquired a major portion of the stocks of Boston Dynamics.
In the year 2021, the Hyundai Group announced that they had officially taken over the control of Boston Dynamics.
Robotics
There are many robots that Boston Dynamics have made in the span of the past 30 years. But some of them are extremely famous for their innovation. Some of the products or robots that should be mentioned are given below:
1. The BigDog
One of the most famous of all the robots that Boston Dynamics have made is the BigDog. The BigDog was created in the year 2005, and it was quadrupedal. The company created the robot for DARPA, and it hoped to be able to serve the purpose of robotic mules that could help them carry things at work.
If you have heard about the “Boston Dynamics robot dog,” then this is the one. The BigDog has four legs and can walk pretty efficiently. At the same time, the robot can carry up to 340 pounds of weight. The maximum speed of the creature is 4 miles per hour, and it can also walk on inclined terrain.
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2. The LittleDog
Boston Dynamics released the LittleDog in 2010. It was a small quadruped robot that Boston Dynamics developed for research purposes for DARPA. It was more like a testbed. After making sure that it was worthy enough, the company made it for other institutions.
The LittleDog is a four-legged creature that moves on electric motors. It is strong enough to be able to climb up any surface. The sensors of the robot are great for measuring joint angles, body orientation, foot or ground contact, and motor currents.
3. Cheetah
Similar to the two robots that have been mentioned above, the Cheetah is also a quadruped that has an amazing speed of about 45 kilometers per hour or 28 mph.
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4. PETMAN
Protection Ensemble Test Mannequin, more famously called the PETMAN, is a bipedal or two-legged robot that was invented for the testing of suits that are for chemical protection. It was the first robot in the history of Boston Dynamics that moved like a real person.
5. Atlas
This is a humanoid robot that is 5 ft tall. This two-legged robot was inspired by the petman and was designed for various tasks like rescue and research.
The full name of this robot is the Agile Anthropomorphic Robot. The company called this one the “Next Generation” in the YouTube video that was published in February 2016. In the video, Atlas is shown to be doing the tasks that the previous generation of humanoid robots could not do.
6. Handle
This one is a research robot. The main difference that this robot had from other robots of the company was that it would move with the help of electricity.
This robot had two legs that were flexible enough and was on wheels. At the same time, the Handle also had two arms or “hands” that could carry things.
The best part of the Handle is that it can travel at a speed of 14 kilometers per hour or 9 mph. And at the same time, it could also jump vertically up to a height of four feet.
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7. Spot
In the year 2016, while the company was still under Google X, Boston Dynamics introduced the world to a four-legged robot called Spot.
It was a canine-inspired robot that weighed 25 kgs only. I am using the word on;y because the robot is considerably lighter than most of their other products.
However, contrary to the fact that it was a high-functioning mobile robot, many viewers who had seen the robot in the promotional videos online perceived it as a “creepy” looking creature that could cause destruction.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
The company that specializes in the making of robots started making them first in the year 1992. The tech genius Marc Raibert and Carnegie Mellon started the company. The company’s first robot was the Atlas Disaster Response, which made its debut in the year 2013 to the public.
Though the company was started by Marc Raibert in the year 1992, at present, the Hyundai Motor Group owns a major portion of the Boston Dynamics stocks since June 2021. It has acquired 80 percent of the stake in the company.
There are many robots that the company has made in the past 30 years. Some of the most famous robots of them all are the Atlas and the Big Dog.
Both the robots are powerful and precise in their action. While the Atlas is a humanoid robot, the BigDog, as the name rightly suggests, is a robot dog.
Wrapping It Up!
The engineering company called Boston Dynamics is one of the best out there that manufactures robots and other scientific manufacturing that the world needs at present.
The company was founded in 1992 and had been running for the last thirty years. There are many ups and downs that the company has faced, and there are a lot of changes in the ownership of the company as well.
The company was acquired by Google X, which was a subsidiary of the Google company, and then it was passed on to the Japanese SoftBank. In the year 2021, Hyundai Motor Group stated that it has owned 80 percent of the company stocks and is now in full control of the company.
Some of the best-known robots that have been made by the company are PETMAN, BigDog, LittleDog, and Spot.
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