The rise of the machines is canceled: Why humanoids with AI are helpers, not enemies

Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid, shown here, is an example of a robot ready for AI.

For decades, engineers have been trying to create robots that look and act like humans. Now, rapid advances in artificial intelligence are bringing humanoid robots out of the lab and onto the factory floor. As fears grow that AI will displace workers, a global race is underway to develop humanoid robots capable of performing human work.

Competitors include Tesla , startups backed by Amazon and NVIDIA , and state-owned Chinese companies. Waltham, Mass.-based Boston Dynamics, valued at over $1 billion, is among the humanoid leaders with its Atlas robot. South Korean automaker Hyundai owns an 88% stake in the company .

Hyundai ‘s massive auto plant is arguably the most advanced in the world. More than 1,000 robots work alongside nearly 1,500 humans, lifting, stamping, and welding parts in robotic unison. Atlas, at 175 cm (68.8 in.) tall and 90 kg (198.4 lb.) in weight, has left the lab and is doing real work.

Atlas and AI learn with human help

Atlas’s development is led by Zach Jackowski . He holds two degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT , and his mission is to transform the robot into a productive worker on the factory floor. Atlas confidently helps sort roof racks for the assembly line without human intervention. It operates autonomously; many roboticists would have considered this insane five or six years ago.

In 2021, Atlas was a bulky, hydraulic robot that could only run and jump. Back then, Atlas relied on algorithms written by engineers. The next-generation Atlas, with its sleek, all-electric body and AI, runs on cutting-edge NVIDIA chips, making it intelligent enough to autonomously perform incredible stunts.

Scott Kindersma led robotics research department at Boston Dynamics before moving to Google DeepMind . He explained that modern robots have learned to master movements that until recently were considered too complex for a machine. This is largely due to how these robots are programmed: more emphasis is placed on demonstrations and machine learning than on manual programming.

This humanoid can learn. Atlas learns in a variety of ways. In supervised training, machine learning specialist Kevin Bergerman (now also at Google DeepMind), wearing a virtual reality headset, took direct control of the humanoid, guiding its hand and arm movements step by step through each task until Atlas masters it. If this teleoperator can perform the task we want the robot to perform, this generates data that is subsequently used to train the robot’s AI models to perform that task autonomously.

The stylish suit you wear will actually record all your body movements to train Atlas to accurately mimic your movements. In this way, you will serve as a physical prototype for a 200-lb. metal robot. All your movements—walking, hand gestures—are captured by these sensors.

Engineers then feed this data into a machine learning process. Atlas’s body is different from yours, so they had to teach it to virtually imitate human movements. Over 4,000 digital Atlases were trained for six hours in a simulation. The simulation added complex challenges for the avatars, such as slippery floors, bending, and stiff joints.

Ultimately, this could lead to many copies of Atlas, each having loaded new skills into the AI ​​system. Once one robot is trained, they are all trained. Using the same processes, Atlas was taught to crawl and cartwheel. It wasn’t as good at duck walking.

Indeed, Atlas, or any other humanoid, can’t yet do most of the things a person does in their daily lives. For example, simply getting dressed in the morning or pouring a cup of coffee and carrying it around the house are too complex for Atlas.

What particularly stands out about Atlas is its brain. NVIDIA chips—the same ones that helped launch the AI ​​revolution with GPT chat—process a stream of collected data, bringing this humanoid robot closer to a semblance of common sense. Atlas can see its surroundings and understands how the physical world works.

One day, you’ll be able to place such a robot in a factory and simply explain to it what you want it to do. It will have enough knowledge of how the world works to perform the tasks assigned to it.

Spot platform demonstrates legged robot utility

There’s currently a lot of excitement in the industry about the potential of creating robots smart enough to be truly versatile. Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, led the company’s robotics development until stepping down earlier this year.

The cornerstone was the robotic dog Spot, introduced almost 10 years ago. The quadruped is trained to work in hot, cold, and rugged conditions, roaming the halls of Boston Dynamics.

It has multiple cameras, thermal sensors, acoustic sensors, and an array of sensors on its back that allow it to collect data on the plant’s condition. Spot conducts quality checks at the Hyundai plant, ensuring that cars are equipped with the necessary parts. They conduct safety checks and industrial inspections at hundreds of facilities around the world. What began with Spot has evolved into Atlas. This robot is capable of superhuman movement.

Therefore, it will be able to surpass what we can do. “So, you’re creating a robot that should surpass human capabilities.”

“Why not, right? We’d love to invent creatures that could be stronger than us, withstand higher temperatures than us, or enter dangerous places.” Superhuman capabilities—for many people, that sounds terrifying. You’re not envisioning a Terminator world.

Absolutely not. If you saw how hard it takes to get robots to perform some of the simple tasks required of them, it would allay fears about intelligent and out-of-control machines. Could people have more pressing concerns?

It’s guaranteed that there will be people who say, “I’ll lose my job to a robot.” Work is truly changing. So monotonous, grueling work will eventually be performed by robots.

But these robots aren’t so…

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