DARPA releases ATLAS robot

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency unveiled ATLAS on July 11, a 330-pound robot that stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall and boasts 28 hydraulically actuated joints, LIDAR and stereo vision and two interchangeable sets of hands.

"ATLAS is one of the most advanced humanoid robots ever built," the DARPA announcement stated, "but is essentially a physical shell for the software brains and nerves that the teams will continue to develop and refine."