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Sunday, September 30, 2018

DARPA Underground Challenge

Saw this announced and at least at first did not understand it.   Clearer now, quite interesting regarding the environments involved.    Have a friend who is connected, will ask for more as it progresses.   From disasters to caves to ... 

Three robot advances that’ll be needed for DARPA’s new underground challenge

What kind of robot could handle this impossible-seeming cave mission?  by Will Knight in TechnologyReview

This week, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced a challenge to push the limits of robotic design and control. 

DARPA’s Subterranean Challenge will require teams to have robots maneuver objects through three different environments: a series of caves, a bunker-like “urban environment,” and a labyrinth of confined tunnels. While the robots will be remote-controlled, they’ll need some serious autonomous skills. They will need to rapidly map and explore unfamiliar environments even when communications are spotty and conditions are challenging for sensors.

The teams will be allowed to use as many different types of robot as they like, but this will mean dealing with greater complexity in communications and coordination. “You may be a great swimmer but not a great runner or cyclist, but when you put them all together, it’s how you can handle all three of those events that allow you to cross the finish line,” Timothy Chung, program manager at DARPA, said at the event on Thursday. ... "

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