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Google's 'next generation' Atlas robot turns heads

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Google's robotics arm, Boston Dynamics, has released a video of a new version of its Atlas robot. The video shows the upgraded robot opening doors, picking up boxes and taking an eerily human-like stroll in the woods.

The video also shows Boston Dynamics employees shoving and knocking over the robot, which can pick itself up off the floor.

While the Atlas robot may not boost the quarterly earnings of Google parent Alphabet for a while, it appears to be the next step for robotics, according to Max Wolff, chief economist at Manhattan Venture Partners.

"My guess is early on we're going to see defense use, law enforcement use, hazardous waste use and some surgical and medical equipment use," Wolff said on CNBC's Tech Bet. Some robots are already being used for bomb detection, he said.

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Google acquired Boston Dynamics in 2013 along with seven other robotics companies that year as part of the company's so-called "moonshot" ventures.