Retired robot, “Emo” and cyborg cockroaches

Boston Dynamics has announced that it is retiring its most famous humanoid robot, Atlas HD, after 11 years of service. Atlas HD was known for its ability to overcome obstacle courses and perform jumps and somersaults, making it a significant milestone in the humanoid robot industry. Boston Dynamics has already introduced the successor to the hydraulic robot – the new Atlas, a fully electric model with an even more comprehensive range of motion, as seen in the published video. 

Emo is an anthropomorphic robot that mimics human facial expressions in real-time. The robot has built-in cameras that detect subtle changes in human facial expressions, analyse them, and use 26 actuators and a flexible, skin-like silicone coating to recreate the predicted facial expression. Although Emo does not have a voice yet, integrating the robot with AI chatbot features could enable it to respond even more accurately. 

Scientists from Singapore recently conducted an experiment involving a swarm of cockroaches equipped with small computer “backpacks” in a desert area. With this technology, researchers remotely controlled the insects by transmitting commands through computer electrodes to the cockroaches’ sense organs. The experiment aims to determine whether cyborg insects could be used in search and rescue missions after natural disasters.