Viral video of parkour machine is not your father's robot; should we be afraid?

robot
A selection of 1950''s toy robots for an auction of TV and movie toy memorabilia are displayed July 12, 2001 at Christie''s Auction House in London. Photo credit Sion Touhig/Getty Images

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Atlas is a bipedal robot from Boston Dynamics that can run, jump, and navigate an obstacle course with the speed and dexterity of a seasoned athlete.

Paul Hochman, President of Humongous Media in Cambridge, Massachusetts, told the WBBM Noon Business Hour on Thursday that the technology that drives Atlas has implications beyond viral videos.

"Immediately, what your mind leaps to is the idea of soldiers or police officers who are robots chasing you down," Hochman said. "Don't steal the apple from the fruit cart, because this thing is going to get you. It's really quite striking to watch."

In a less sinister vein, he noted, robots could also be deployed by fire departments or the bomb squad to do jobs that are too dangerous for humans.

"Any time you have a place where you need to avoid injury to a human being a robot can be a great replacement," Hochman said.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Sion Touhig/Getty Images