Boston Dynamics’ Atlas Robot Can Do Parkour

In a new YouTube video from robotics company Boston Dynamics, which Alphabet sold to SoftBank last year, a robot is shown hopping over a log and then up a series of blocks, an activity called parkour. This two-legged robot, called Atlas, is the same one that was shown doing a backflip less than a year ago. The video is called “Parkour Atlas,“ in reference to a popular recreational activity among young people. In a 2007 New Yorker article, parkour is described as “a quasi commando system of leaps, vaults,