From Teleoperation to Autonomy: Inside Boston Dynamics' Atlas Training

On the show today, Scott Kuindersma, VP of Robotics Research at Boston Dynamics, discusses the development and testing of large behavior models (LBMs) for Atlas, a humanoid robot. The Boston Dynamics team collected 20 hours of teleoperation data to train LBMs, which generalize manipulation tasks. They demonstrated this with Atlas performing bi-manual manipulation tasks, such as picking and placing Spot parts. The process involves data collection, annotation, model training, and evaluation. Kuindersma highlighted the importance of simulation data and human demonstration data. Future plans include testing Atlas in Hyundai facilities and exploring AI-centric results to enhance humanoid manipulation and dynamic behaviors. Boston Dynamics is planning to take Atlas to some Hyundai facilities this year.