The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now testing what it calls “the most advanced humanoid robots ever built.”

You can watch the machine in action in the video embedded above. This 330-pound, 6-foot robot can climb stairs, negotiate obstacles and stay upright when hit with a 20-pound weight. Check it out:

ATLAS was developed for DARPA by Boston Dynamics. Software-focused teams from Tracks B and C of the DARPA Robotics Challenge will use the robot to compete in the first physical competition of the Challenge in December 2013 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.  The DARPA Robotics Challenge seeks to advance the technology necessary to create robots capable of assisting humans in disaster response.