Boston Dynamics' robotics has been transparent about the trial and error process involved in robotics, including the frequent falls experienced by the robots.
The company's CTO, Pras Velagapudi, views these falls as a positive part of the learning process, and the company has focused on building robots that can withstand falls and get back up.
The company has also gained attention following the unveiling of the electric Atlas and the retirement of the old hydraulic Atlas.
The accompanying video celebrated the older Atlas' transformation from a DARPA research project to an incredibly agile bipedal "bot." Ultimately, "Farewell to Atlas" is both a blooper reel and a celebration.
It serves as a helpful reminder that there are several slips, falls, and sputters every time the robot sticks the landing on video.
According to Pras Velagapudi, the company's newly appointed CTO, it is positive to see robots fall on the job at this point.
He noted that unexpected things will happen when a robot is out in the world doing real things.
"You're going to see some falls, but that's part of learning to run a long time in real-world environments. It's expected and a sign that you're not staging things," he continued.
Boston Dynamics CTO Aaron Saunders told TechCrunch last year that they are not afraid of a fall and are not treating the robots like they are going to break all the time.
Furthermore, the falling subject was also discussed with Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter before the launch of the electric Atlas.
Playter said that there would be very practical uses for that. He claimed that robots would fall and that they would better be able to get up from the prone position.
He added that getting up from a prone position may also be helpful for charging. He also shared that the company has a long history of being "rough" on its robots.
