U.S. engineering and robotics designers, the Boston Dynamics company, have just posted an upgraded version of the Atlas, a high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain.

The humanoid robot is pretty amazing as it can pick up 10 pound boxes and maintain its balance, when hit with a stick by company employees, and stand up after falling down. These might seem pretty simple for a human, but actually are quite complicated for a robot to manage. Plus, Atlas does not get mad when bullied!

The agile anthropomorphic robot is described by the company as follows, "Atlas can walk bipedally leaving the upper limbs free to lift, carry, and manipulate the environment. In extremely challenging terrain, Atlas is strong and coordinated enough to climb using hands and feet, to pick its way through congested spaces."

The robot's qualities are not limited to these. Its "articulated, sensate hands" also makes it possible for the robot to use tools designed for human use.