Here is the latest Boston Dynamics robot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xvqQeoA8c
It looks less humanoid, and less like a pack horse or other animal than previous models. It travels on wheels, but it can easily go down a flight of stairs, or hop over a large object. It is faster, more maneuverable and more graceful than previous models. It has evolved away from the animal model toward something you can only build with machinery. As I see it, this is a good example of the evolution of new technology. It starts off literally built from old technology. Then it becomes an imitation of the old. Early railroad carriages were made from horse carriages. They were terrible! See: http://railroad.lindahall.org/essays/rail-cars.html Early automobile resembled buggies. Later, as designers become used to the new invention, and they understand its potential better, it looks less like the older version. As I said in my book, in the early stages, in some cases: "With ingenuity and extra effort, the limitations of the old were imposed on the new." Here is a cute robot that pedals and balances a miniature bicycle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT3vfSQePcs - Jed
