DARPA announces $2 million disaster zone robot competition

DARPA announces $2 million disaster zone robot competition

Defense agency wants more versatile robots for use when deployed to disaster zones

BY JEFFREY BAUSCH

Anybody looking to make $2 million? If so, check out this new competition announced by U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) today: they’re looking for next-gen robots that are more capable when deployed in disaster zones.

DARPA Robotics Challenge: illustration of disaster response scenario with next-gen robots.

More specifically, they are looking for robots that are able to adapt to the situation at hand and use an array of human tools as well, covering everything from hand tools to driving vehicles.

Welcome to the Robot Games

The competition will be made up of two phases, with each one ending with a competitive challenge:

• Phase 1 will last 15 months from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013.

• Phase 2 will last 12 months from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014.

During the physical challenges, the robots will have to go through a series of emergency physical challenges, including scenarios like:

Drive a utility vehicle

Robot must be able to enter the vehicle, drive it on a course, and exit the vehicle.

While driving, the bot must be able to operate the vehicle controls, including steering, throttle, brakes, and ignition.

The vehicle will likely be an unmodified utility vehicle.

Use a tool to break through a concrete panel

Robot has to use a power tool to perform “forceful manipulation.”

The power tool will probably be something like an air or electric impact hammer and chisel, or an electric reciprocating saw.

The robot must be able to break through the concrete panel or framed wall.

Replace a component such as a cooling pump

Robot has to locate the pump and loosen one or more fasteners to extract it from its fittings.

Bot must then be able to reverse all steps to replace the pump.

It is expected that the pump will be small and compact enough that a human could handle it with a single hand.

Some of the fine print

This competition is open to international teams, and there are no requirements to have ties to a U.S. company or lab.

Competitors will be able to enter the challenge via one of the following four tracks:

• Track A is for teams proposing to develop their own robot and software, and if selected, they’ll receive funding from DARPA.

• Track B is for teams proposing to develop control software (no hardware) to compete in a computer simulation, and selected teams will be funded by DARPA.

• Track C is for teams developing, at their own expense, control software (no hardware) to compete in the simulation part of the challenge.

• Track D is for teams developing, at their own expense, both a robot and software to enter in the competition.

Now, in regards to funding, DARPA breaks it down like this: the agency will select, at most, five teams for Track A, each receiving up to $3 million in the first phase of the program. For Track B, DARPA will fund up to 12 teams for the first nine months with up to $375,000. After nine months, following a virtual challenge on a government-provided simulator, the agency will select up to six teams (from Tracks B and C), each funded at up to $750,000, and provide them with a government-funded equipment platform (a robot built by a DARPA contractor).

In the second phase, DARPA will select up to eight teams from Tracks A, B, and C, funding each with up to $1 million, with ongoing use of the government-funded robots for the Track B and C teams still in the competition.

So, to recap, the incentive to win the first challenge is to receive funding from DARPA to go on to the second challenge. There are no other prizes there. The incentive to win the second, winner-takes-all challenge: a $2 million cash prize.

Inspiration

DARPA made mention in their release of how robots have already been deployed into danger zones, with specific reference to the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown last year. During the disaster recovery efforts, Japanese authorities used unmanned vehicles and “first responder” robots to move heavy debris and measure radiation levels.

The US Army has also used robots in Iraq and Afghanistan, namely to clear buildings and diffuse improvised explosive devices.

But DARPA believes that more work needs to be done to make the machines better at interacting with humans more naturally. It’s the agency’s hope that everyone from software engineers to video game developers to experts in fields outside of robotics will take part in this competition.

“The work of the global robotics community brought us to this point — robots do save lives, do increase efficiencies and do lead us to consider new capabilities,” said Gill Pratt, DARPA program manager. “What we need to do now is move beyond the state of the art. This challenge is going to test supervised autonomy in perception and decision-making, mounted and dismounted mobility, dexterity, strength and endurance in an environment designed for human use but degraded due to a disaster. Adaptability is also essential because we don’t know where the next disaster will strike. The key to successfully completing this challenge requires adaptable robots with the ability to use available human tools, from hand tools to vehicles.”

“Robots undoubtedly capture the imagination, but that alone does not justify an investment in robotics,” adds DARPA Acting Director, Kaigham J. Gabriel. “For robots to be useful to DoD, they need to offer gains in either physical protection or productivity. The most successful and useful robots would do both via natural interaction with humans in shared environments.”

To learn more . . .

Interested in taking part in the competition? Take a read through DARPA’s Broad Agency Announcement, the solicitation document that they made public yesterday.

To answer questions regarding the Robotics Challenge and provide an opportunity for interested parties to connect, DARPA will hold a virtual Proposers’ Day workshop on April 16, 2012. It’s an online workshop that will introduce interested communities to the effort, explain the mechanics of this DARPA challenge, and encourage collaborative arrangements among potential performers from a wide range of backgrounds. ■