, Columnist
That Backflipping Robot Is Just a $1 Billion Party Trick
SoftBank looking to sell Boston Dynamics is the latest sign that humanoid automatons still lack profitable applications.
Still a sideshow.
Photographer: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP/Getty Images
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It’s impressive that a humanoid machine can propel itself into the air, invert and spin 360 degrees, landing back where it started. Heck, most humans can’t even do that — but then most don’t need to, either. And that’s just the problem for Boston Dynamics Inc.
Beyond wowing people for entertainment, there isn’t a big market for robots that can perform the athletic feats of sentient beings. They make for viral YouTube videos and not much more.