The Italian Institute of Technology’s HyQ is one of many quadruped robots vying for the role of one day replacing horses and other means of transporting cargo over uneven terrain. So it makes sense that it would be put through exhaustive tests to ensure it could handle any situation—but none are as satisfying as watching it get pummelled with a heavy weight.
https://gizmodo.com/atlas-probably-the-most-advanced-humanoid-yet-definit-745900003
In fact, it was ATLAS who first showed us how enjoyable it could be to watch a robot get rocked with a swinging dead weight. But part of that satisfaction comes with also seeing how adept these machines are able to shrug off the attack. Sure, they get thrown off balance, but the fact that they’re still standing afterwards is what’s really awesome here. [YouTube via IEEE Spectrum]
