PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Watch This Boston Dynamics Robot Balance on One Foot

Atlas can practically do gymnastics or yoga now.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

The last time we saw Boston Dymanics's humanoid robot Atlas, it was running through the woods like a Walking Dead zombie. Now, the thing is giving Simone Biles a run for her money on the balance beam.

Okay, we might be exaggerating a bit, but Atlas can practically do gymnastics or yoga now. A video posted to YouTube last week (below) shows the robot balancing on one foot while standing on a 2cm thick plywood edge. To put that in perspective, an actual balance beam is 10cm wide.

To give Atlas this new skill, Boston Dynamics got some help from the nonprofit Institute for Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), which developed the control algorithm and explained that the shaking "is caused by poor state estimation" since they used only onboard sensors.

Just keep in mind that, like a lot of things you see online, Atlas's balance stunt in the video is partially an illusion. IHMC said the video was recorded during a "lucky run."

"Usually the robot is not able to maintain balance for this long," the team wrote.

Regardless, that one lucky run was pretty impressive.

Meanwhile, when Atlas is not creeping through the forest or training for the 2020 Olympics, it's working on its balance in the lab by walking swiftly over a pile of rocks that mimic the rough terrain a robot might encounter in a search-and-rescue or combat situation.

"All kinds of stuff happens out there and we're making pretty good progress on making it so that it has mobility that's sort of within shooting range of [a human's]," Boston Dynamics Founder Marc Raibert said last year. "I'm not saying it can do everything you can do, but you can imagine if we keep pushing, we'll get there."

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read full bio